The Hero
by The PinkCorsair
Summary: Severus Snape is summand to a suprise late night dark revel.He find that one of the Golden Trio has been captured. To save her, he will have to choose to make the ultimate sacrifice. Chaper four now load.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes:

This story has re-edited and reloaded to fit new guidelines.

This story was beta by the still two legged **Nakhash Mekashefah. ** We all wish her long health and happiness as long as it doesn't get in the way of her proofreading our stories.****

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

THE HERO.

The cold December night air bit at Severus as soon as he Apparated into some unknown countryside. His Mark had begun to burn twenty minutes ago. He found it very strange that the Dark Lord would call another meeting of the Death Eaters only a week after they had last met.

Looking up the slope of a small hill, Severus could see several of his fellow Death Eaters gathering themselves around a small fire. As he made his way up the hill, the first person he met was Lucius Malfoy. "Ah, Severus, do we have a treat for you tonight," Malfoy said with a twisted smile.

"It's after two in the morning and below freezing out here, Lucius," Snape said with irritation in his voice.

"I guarantee you will find the discomfort well worth it, Severus. My son has brought the Dark Lord a very special gift, thanks to some Polyjuice Potion and one of Potter's hairs," Malfoy told him, as they took their places in the circle of Death Eaters surrounding the fire. Suddenly, the fire erupted into a large ball of green flame. Out of the flame, the Dark Lord appeared with Wormtail and Bellatrix at his side.

Everyone present quickly sank to one knee and bowed their heads in respect. "Rise, my children," Voldemort said as he still stood in the middle of the fire. "We have a unexpected guest joining us this evening," the Dark Lord announced. Wormtail then stepped forward and dropped a large burlap sack on the ground in front of his master. He tore open the sack revealing the body of a teenage girl. After she was removed completely from the sack, it became quite apparent to Severus who it was.

Hermione Granger lay gagged and bound, trembling on the ground at Voldemort's feet. The fear in her eyes was obvious to everyone. "I give you Hogwarts' Head Girl, courtesy of young Mr. Malfoy," Voldemort announced. "Will you convey my appreciation to your son, Lucius. It's a shame he can't join in the fun."

"He only wishes the serve you, my Lord. Unfortunately, he needs to be back at Malfoy Manor to establish his alibi," Lucius said as he bowed to Voldemort.

Severus studied the girl on the ground. As far as he could tell, she was unharmed with the exception of a few cuts and bruises. 'Foolish child, how could she have been so stupid as to end up like this?' Severus thought to himself. He had always considered her the most intelligent of Potter's group. This only goes to show that intelligence is no substitute for common sense. That was something Severus thought was in short supply amongst most Gryffindors. Now here lie McGonagall's pride and joy, nearly terrified to death, at the Dark Lord's feet.

"That senile old fool has disgraced Hogwarts once again by making this filthy Mudblood Head Girl. I plan to show Dumbledore my displeasure at his choice. Tomorrow is Christmas. The staff of Hogwarts will awake to see the mutilated corpse of this Mudblood donning Hogwarts' gates. I will personally owl her heart to the Headmaster, myself. They will soon learn that no Mudblood is safe from us. Not even in Hogwarts," Voldemort triumphantly stated.

Severus searched his mind for a solution to this dilemma. He could see no way of extracting the girl from this situation without revealing himself as a spy. The Headmaster had informed him about the prophecy with Potter. This girl would not be required to defeat the Dark Lord. He could just let it happen and preserve his place as a spy for the Order. She would be a sacrifice for the greater good.

"Severus, come forward," Voldemort ordered. He moved forward and knelt down on one knee in front of the Dark Lord. "Severus, Lucius tells me you're quite familiar with this Mudblood?" his master asked.

"Yes, my Lord. She has been a constant source of irritation for many years," he answered.

"That's good to hear, Severus, because I have selected you to be the first to take the Mudblood. When all my servants have each had their taste of this wretch, you will have the honor of taking her life," Voldemort told him.

"Thank you, my Lord," Severus said as he lowered his head in a bow. This was not something he was looking forward to. The thought of raping this girl thoroughly repulsed him. The only thing he could hope to do was to kill her while he took her. At least he would spare her the others.

"What do you have to say to your professor, Mudblood?" Voldemort asked as he stared down at her with his blood-red eyes. With a wave of his wand, the gag in her mouth disappeared. Severus suddenly became very anxious. He didn't know if the girl would choose to betray him in an attempt to save her own life. He stared into her large brown eyes as she stared back up into his. He could see that the fear in her eyes had been replaced by a look of utter sadness. "You may kill me but you will never defeat the Order and the side of light. We will all gladly sacrifice our lives to make sure you are destroyed," she bravely stated. With another wave of his wand, the Dark Lord made the gag reappear.

Severus was stunned by what she had said. It was apparent the girl understood all too well her and his situation. Her strength of character surprised him. Severus began to rethink her importance to the Order. It was true that Potter had to be the one to kill the Dark Lord. But was he capable of doing it without this girl by his side? He had always assumed that Potter's ability to survive encounters with the Dark Lord was due to sheer dumb luck. 'Maybe having this girl as a friend has something to do with it as well?' he thought.

Severus took another look into the girl's eyes. A steady stream of tears rolled down her cheeks as she resigned herself to her fate. Severus knew those eyes would haunt him every moment to his dying day. He knew he could not bring himself to kill this girl. He realized that only left one option. Severus knew that this moment would one day come. He would have to sacrifice everything now if the girl was to survive.

Severus reached down and tightly grabbed hold of Granger's collar, roughly dragging her to a clear spot away from the fire. He reached into his robe pocket and withdrew a small vial with a golden liquid in it. He stared at the experimental potion for a second. He knew once he drank it, there was no going back. The fight against the Dark Lord would be someone else's problem. Part of him felt a sense of relief. He had fought this war for far too long, time to let the next generation take over the fight.

Popping off the cork with his thumb, he quickly drank the potion. Instantly, pain exploded through his body like fire. The incredible agony caused him to fall to one knee. Lucius came to his side to see if he was all right. "I hope that was to make the night more enjoyable," Lucius said with a smirk as he helped Severus back to his feet.

"It was," Severus answered in a hoarse voice. As the pain began to recede, he reached into his robe and removed a two-foot long Japanese ceremonial sword from a sheath on his belt; his wand was useless to him now. The razor-sharp blade shimmered green in the firelight. The blade's metal had been impregnated with a very powerful poison. One small cut would prove fatal.

"I realize you truly hate the girl, Severus, but you might want to hold up with that. Save it until after everyone has a go at her," Lucius said as he stared at the blade in his hand.

"This is not for her, Lucius. It's for you," Severus calmly said, then thrust the blade into Lucius's chest, right through his heart. Lucius simply gave him a surprised look while the life drained from his face. As death overtook him, Lucius fell backwards, sliding off the blade.

"TRAITOR!" the Dark Lord screamed from behind him. Before Severus could turn, he heard Voldemort shout, "_Avada Kedavra_." The curse struck him between the shoulder blades. Thanks to the potion, the deadly curse wasn't able to enter his body. But the release of energy still burnt his flesh. Severus quickly turned to face the Dark Lord. Voldemort had his arm outstretched with his wand pointing at him. The Dark wizard seemed to be shocked that someone other than Potter could survive the Killing Curse.

Not waiting for his enemy to come to his senses, Severus slashed down hard with his small sword. With one blow, he severed Voldemort's right arm at the elbow. As his wand, hand, and forearm fell to the ground, the Dark Lord let out an ear-piercing scream. Severus raised the sword over his head; he hoped to remove Voldemort from his body. That would not stop the Dark Lord, but it would make things very difficult for him in the near future. Just as he swung the sword at Voldemort's neck, Wormtail stepped in front of the blade with his silver hand held up. The sharp blade cut through it, removing all the fingers. Wormtail fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Before Severus could raise his sword again for another blow, Bellatrix stepped forward and shot a Stunning Hex at him, her wand only inches from his face. The curse temporarily blinded him and burnt the left side of his face. Staggering backwards a few steps, Severus felt a multitude of hexes striking him. As soon as his sight cleared, he could see that all of the Death Eaters had their wands drawn and were throwing curse after curse at him.

He could see Voldemort bent over with his left hand clasped to the bloody stump where his right elbow used to be. Ignoring the pain the hexes caused, he made his way forward again to strike at the Dark wizard. "MAGIC DOESN'T WORK. USE YOUR DAGGERS!" Bellatrix shouted at her fellow Death Eaters.

Walden Macnair was the first to pull his dagger and charge. Severus turned just in time to impale Macnair on his blade. With the last bit of life left in his body, Macnair was able to bury his dagger into Severus's shoulder. As Macnair felt to the ground dead, Severus reached up and pulled the dagger out of his flesh. His adrenalin level was so high that he barely registered any pain at all. A Large cracking sounds erupted next to him. When he looked to the spot where the Dark Lord had been, there was nothing there. Both Wormtail and Bellatrix had gone as well.

Severus turned to face the nine remaining Death Eaters. All had replaced their wands with daggers. It was Nott, the man he had known since childhood, who charged him next. Nott wasn't very graceful with his swipe at Severus. As soon as he overreached with his attack, Snape swung his sword, removing his long-time friend's head from his shoulders. Nott's body continued stumbling forward, spewing blood from the neck, covering Severus in gore. He pushed back on the body, letting it fall to the ground.

Severus faced his adversaries once again. Blood dripped from him and the blade of his sword. The remaining Death Eaters had bunched much closer together. Severus could see the fear in their faces. None of them were use to fighting without wands. "Let's all charge him at once. He can't beat all eight of us," Rodolphus Lestrange suggested.

Severus dropped Macnair's dagger on the ground and reached into his breast pocket. He withdrew a small two-shot derringer and pointed it at the Death Eaters. A "POP, POP," rang out in the cold night air. Both Lestrange brothers fell dead in front of him. "It's amazing how effective these Muggle devices are when you no longer have a wand to protect yourself," Severus said with an evil smile on his face. "And now, there are only six of you left to deal with," he confidently stated.

Each of the six remaining quickly reached inside their robes to retrieve their wands. Seeing that Crabbe was being the slowest of the bunch, Severus stepped forward and slashed the big man across the chest with his sword. As Crabbe fell to the ground writhing in pain, the rest of the Death Eaters scattered, most running down the hill. With loud cracking sounds, the frightened Death Eaters Apparated away, even Crabbe was able to escape. Severus knew the big man would be dead before dawn without an antidote to the poison.

Turning around, Severus searched the hill with his eyes for any more Death Eaters. They had all fled, leaving him alone with his five victims and the girl. Severus dropped the empty derringer on the ground and picked Macnair's dagger back up. He slowly walked back over to Miss Granger. With every step, the pain from all the burns the hexes had inflicted on him settled into his flesh. His shoulder began to throb where he had been stabbed. The potion that had protected him from their curses was stealing his strength.

Leaning down next to her, Severus began to cut her bonds. She just stared up at him with a surprised look on her face. After removing her gag, he helped her sit up. "Are you injured, Miss Granger?" He asked with a hoarse voice.

"No, Professor," she answered, still looking at him in amazement. "How were you able to do that, sir? How could you survive all those hexes?" she asked as they both got to their feet.

"Potions, Miss Granger," Severus answered. "It is the most powerful form of magic there is. It can always beat foolish wand waving in the right hands."

"A potion that shields you from all magic. That's incredible," Hermione anxiously said.

"It would be if such a potion existed. The potion I used destroys all magic, inside and outside of whoever uses it. That is why I armed myself with Muggle weapons. I no longer have any magic to make use of a wand with," he informed her.

"How long does this potion last?" she asked, giving him a worried look.

"Forever," he simply answered. Severus walked over to where the Dark Lord had been when he attacked. Lying on the ground was Voldemort's arm with his wand still in his hand. He reached down and picked it up. Retrieving the torn burlap sack that Miss Granger had arrived in, he wrapped the gruesome trophy in it. He walked back over to Granger and handed it to her. "Take this to Dumbledore, he may be able to use it against the Dark Lord. Take my wand and Apparate right away. The Death Eaters may return soon with greater numbers. When you see the Headmaster, tell him that there is a secret compartment in my bedchamber on the east wall. The password to open it is 'infernal lemon drops'. Inside, he will find my personal journals. The names of all Death Eaters and the crimes that I know they've committed are in these journals. All of my personal work on potions is there as well."

"You're not coming back with me, Professor?" Hermione asked him with a sad look on her face.

"No, the potion is still destroying the magic within me. With all the wounds that I received, I'll not have the strength to survive. I will be lucky to see the morning sunrise," he told her.

"I'll go to and get help. I'll bring back Madam Pomfrey; she will help you survive this," Hermione said.

"No, Miss Granger, you will do nothing of the sort. You could return to find yourself facing another dozen Dark wizards. I will not have my sacrifice wasted," Severus angrily told her.

"I cannot leave you here to just die. You saved my life," Hermione said as tears came from her eyes.

"I chose this knowing the consequences, Miss Granger. I knew there was no turning back. Even if I were to somehow survive this, I wouldn't want to live. The potion will turn me into Muggle; I would easily prefer death to that," he told her.

"But the Order needs you, Professor. Even as a squib, you could be very useful," she pleadingly told him.

"I didn't say squib, Miss Granger. I said Muggle. There will not even be a trace of magic in me. Normal Muggle repelling charms will work on me. Hogwarts will seem like nothing but a pile of old ruins to me, now. I will be of no use to the Order. Besides, I'm tired of fighting this war. I've seen enough pain and death for several lifetimes. This world is your problem now, Miss Granger," Snape said as he reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Take care, Miss Granger. Potter will need all the help he can get."

Leaning forward, Hermione rose up and kissed him on the lips. "What was that for?" Severus said in surprise at what she had just done.

"For being my Hero, Professor Snape," she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "Happy Christmas, Professor."

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," he replied. With a wave of his wand, she disappeared in front of him.

Severus turned from the spot where she had gone. He looked down at the body of Lucius Malfoy lying at his feet. Seeing that the Death Eater no longer had any use for his heavy winter fur cloak, Severus relieved him of it. He walked over to a large stone sticking out of the ground on the east side of the hill. He sat down on the stone and draped the heavy cloak over his shoulders. He knew he didn't have much strength left but he was determined to see the Christmas sunrise.

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So tell me what you think of this story.

Should I let Severus expire on that hillside or should I continue with this story a little longer?


	2. To be or not to be

Author's Notes:

Due to overwhelming requests that I save our hero from his fate, I have decided to add an additional chapter to this story. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter. What you said meant a lot to me.

Nakhash Makashefah, the Dark sorceress of the east, has Beta'd this chapter for me. It only cost me my first unborn child.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO.

Chapter02. To be or not to be.

Severus felt himself becoming drowsy and heavy-eyed as he sat there on the rock, staring at the eastern night sky. It had been at least thirty minutes since Granger had Apparated away. He didn't worry that she would return to him. The girl didn't know where he was. He didn't even know where in Scotland he sat. Dumbledore or someone else in the Order would be able to trace her Apparition trail back here, but that would take several hours. His fellow Death Eaters, on the other hand, could show up at any second. Severus thought a quick end might be preferable to slowly freezing to death. He might also get the opportunity to kill at least one more of the Dark Lord's servants.

Snape pulled his numb hands inside the thick fur cloak. He shoved them into the pockets in the lining. With his left hand, he could feel a small bag of coins; with his right, he could feel a small glass tube. Snape pulled the glass tube out of the cloak and looked at it. It was a vial with an iridescent blue liquid in it. Severus popped the cork and smelled the liquid. The smell was overpowering. It cleared his sinuses instantly. He recognized what it was immediately. "Dragon's Tears," Snape said to himself. It didn't surprise him that Lucius would have one of the most rare and illegal stimulants in his possession. Dragon's Tears was not tears at all. It was adrenalin take directly from a hatchling dragon's brain – the more aggressive the species, the more powerful the drug. Knowing that Lucius would only want the best, he guessed it was from a Norwegian Ridgeback or a Japanese Rainbow Serpent.

Snape considered what would happen if he drank it. One drop would keep a wizard on edge for days. If he drank the whole vial his heart would explode in minutes. 'Maybe not,' he thought to himself. The potion he had taken would definitely react with it, curbing its effects. It could in theory give him the strength to survive the night. But did he really want to survive. The potion would still render him a Muggle. He couldn't make the simplest potion without magic. He would have to be in a world without magic and with no skill of his own. Even with these handicaps, his Slytherin desire to survive was strong. If he did live survive this night, the Dark Lord would spare nothing to hunt him down and kill him. 'Maybe that's a good thing,' he thought. Severus realized that if Voldemort was spending time and resources hunting him that would only help the Order.

Snape studied the vial in his hand as he considered his options. If he took the potion and survived, he would have to start completely over in an alien world. He would be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life for Dark wizards. But the thought of the Dark Lord knowing finally who had betrayed him and killed nearly half his inner circle warmed his blood a little. Every second he remained alive would be an insult to the Dark Lord. Severus brought the vial to his lips and said, "Anything's better than just sitting here on this damn rock!" He drank the Dragon's Tears down in a single gulp. A tingling sensation filled all of his limbs. His blood began to boil in his veins. Suddenly, the thick fur cloak became too hot to wear. Severus threw it off and jumped to his feet. He was bursting with energy. Severus had the overpowering urge to run, nowhere in particular, just to run. He tried to calm himself. Snape knew his body had lost too much blood and was too damaged for anything stressful.

He realized that he had to leave this place at once. As soon as the Dark Lord realized that he had left his wand behind, he would send all of his remaining servants to retrieve it. Knowing that the warmth in his blood would not last long, he folded the fur cloak over his left arm. He then walked back over to Malfoy's dead body. He wondered how Draco and his mother would take the death of Lucius. Draco would no doubt be devastated and vow revenge for his father. Narcissa probably wouldn't care that much. She would seek out another rich husband while she still had her looks.

Severus knelt down next to Lucius and began to go through the dead man's pockets. Robbing the dead was despicable but necessary under the circumstances. He would need every advantage he could get if he were to survive in the Muggle world. Severus found a money pouch tied to Lucius' belt. It had over a hundred gold Galleons in it. Snape knew Muggles valued gold even more than wizard's did, probably because they couldn't make it on their own and had to dig it out of the earth. He removed all of Lucius' jewelry and the Malfoy family's signet ring from his finger. He also removed a small gold dagger with a ruby encrusted handle. For the first time, Snape felt grateful for Lucius' pompous shallow nature; the man walked around with a small fortune on him. After finishing with Malfoy, Severus moved on to his next victim. He wished that Lucius had had bigger feet; those winter boots of his would have been nice. After finishing with his scavenger hunt, Snape put everything in the pockets of his robes. All of the others combined didn't have as much on them as Lucius, although Peter's silver fingers should sell quite easily. He picked up Malfoy's silver snake-headed walking stick and headed south, off the hill, as snow began to fall. He had no clue where he was going.

Four hour later, near complete exhaustion, Snape knocked loudly on a small Muggle farmhouse door.

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It was almost eight o'clock on Christmas morning. Hermione and twelve members of the Order, including Dumbledore, Harry and Ron, scoured the countryside for any signs of Professor Snape. They had traced her Apparition trail back here to the Scottish coast, probably within a quarter of mile from where she had left. It was dark when she had Apparated away; the only thing she knew for sure was that it was on top of a small hill.

"HERE. I've found something," Remus suddenly called out from her left. Everyone ran toward the small hill he was standing on. "There's been a fire on this hill recently. I also smell blood," he said to Dumbledore just as she reached them. The ground was covered with snow; there was not a trace of a fire. Remus kicked through a couple inches of snow to reveal the burnt spot and ash on the ground.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and waved it in a circle over his head and said, "_Reperi Acutus_." All of the snow on the hill disappeared in a cloud of steam. The steam cleared, revealing the brown grass that covered the hill.

"Where are the bodies?" Hermione asked as she searched the hillside with her eyes.

"We were apparently not the first to arrive," Dumbledore sorrowfully answered.

"Maybe this isn't the right hilltop," Hermione suggested.

"There's blood all over this hill, Hermione. This is definitely it," Remus told her.

"What do we have here?" Tonks asked as she leaned down to pick something up. It was Snape's short Japanese sword. There was no doubt about it. This was the place. Tonks brought the sword over and handed it to Dumbledore. The Headmaster took the sword from her with a sad look in his eyes.

"Where is he? What happened?" Hermione anxiously asked.

"The Death Eaters must have come back to claim their dead," Remus told her.

"Maybe Snape ran away before they came back," Harry suggested.

"I don't think he had the strength to go fifty meters," Hermione said as a tear ran down her face. She turned to Dumbledore and asked, "They got him, didn't they?"

"I'm sure that Severus passed on before they arrived, Hermione. Even if Severus were still living, he wouldn't let them take him alive. They only have his body now; they can do him no more harm," Dumbledore said, trying to reassure her. Hermione sank to her knees and began to weep. She cried for a man that had always hated and despised her. Yet he still laid down his life so that she might live. She had never felt anything but contempt for him, until this day. Now she felt as if a member of her own family had been taken from her. Dumbledore leaned down and took her in his embrace. "It will be all right, my dear," he whispered to her. "It will be all right because we will never forget. Severus gave you back to us, and a chance to win this war. We could never ask for more. He died for what we all believe in. His sacrifice will live on past this war. The name Severus Snape will be remembered with respect and love."

Hermione looked up into the old wizard's eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen Dumbledore cry. She realized that she wasn't the only one feeling the loss. "I promise never to forget," she told the old wizard.

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Two weeks later, a tall thin man dressed all in black, with a bandage on the side of his face, entered Willis and Sons Fine Jewelry, in London. "May I speak with the owner?" he asked the pretty young woman at the counter.

"Is he expecting you?" she asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"Yes, tell him Samuel Smith is here," he told her. Moments later, John Willis approached the man with his hand outstretched.

"Mr. Smith, I'm so happy to make your acquaintance. Do you have the ring with you, by chance?" the man asked with a greedy glint in his eye.

"Of course," Smith answered. He then removed a small white cloth from his breast pocket. He unfolded the cloth to reveal a large gold and silver ring with a twenty-karat green emerald, surrounded by six diamonds.

"May I?" Willis asked as he took out his jeweler's loupe.

"Be my guest," Smith said, handing him the ring. Willis studied the ring for a good ten minutes.

"It's brilliant," he said, placing the ring back on the white cloth. "The craftsmanship is the best I've ever seen. Where did it come from?"

"It was made for an old European family named Malfoy. It was the same French wiz... I mean jeweler that made Marie Antoinette's jewels that eventually cost her her head," Smith answered. "I received it from the family patriarch the night he passed away," Smith explained.

"I'm afraid without any real documentation of its true origin or ownership, I can only offer you… Oh, say, thirty five thousand pounds?" Willis said as he rubbed his chin with his hand.

"Seventy five thousand pounds cash, or it will end up on a fat sheik's finger by sundown," Smith bluntly stated.

"Agreed," Willis greedily said as he shook the dark man's hand. "I can have the money here by four P.M."

"Very well, I will leave ring with you for now," Smith said as he put the white cloth back into his pocket.

"I appreciate your trust in this matter," Willis said as he picked the ring up off the counter.

"Trust has nothing to do with it, Mr. Willis. It would be extremely entertaining if you decided to cheat me," Smith said with an evil smirk on his face. Willis shuddered slightly as he looked into the stranger's black eyes. He would make sure that the money was here by no later than three.

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Well what did you think? Should I go on from here?


	3. Amongst Muggles

-Author's Notes:

Thank you, everyone for reviewing. You have all spurred me on to continue this story. I will try my hardest not to disappoint you.

This story was beta'd by Nakhash Mekashefah. She took time off from smelling the spring flowers to proofread this for me. I know how much she loves the spring.

NM: Such sarcasm deserves punishment :cough,cough:sneeze: after every damn plant stops pollinating... 

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO.

Chapter 03. Amongst Muggles.

Severus Snape, aka Samuel Smith, exited the small corner grocer with the ingredients for his dinner and tomorrow's breakfast in a paper sack. He moved down the walkway next to the river Thames on the east side of London. He lived three miles away in an old loft he rented. It was a long walk but he refused to travel in those noisy Muggle vehicles that clogged the city streets. He had spent the last three-months living as a Muggle. The more he learned about the Muggle world, the less he liked.

He had purchased a small television set. After only a week, he refused to watch the horrid thing anymore. Muggle news was obsessed with death and violence. Most of their fiction programming was, as well. The London Times was what he preferred now. Severus had learned a lot about the Muggle world around him. Some of it was very disturbing. He wondered what would happen if the Daily Prophet informed all witches and wizards that, at any moment, the Muggles could destroy the entire world in a nuclear holocaust. The Dark Lord would be quickly forgotten, if that were to occur.

Muggles did have a version of magic, themselves. Their technology could be quite impressive. They had placed a human on the moon: something no wizard or witch had ever done. Why was another question; it was just a big rock in the sky. They had personal devices they could carry with them that allowed them to talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, as long as they had a similar device. They had a worldwide network of information-sharing machines, which Severus couldn't even begin to understand. Everything felt so alien to him. Severus couldn't see how he would ever be able to survive in this world.

He would eventually have to find a way to support himself. The money he received from selling Malfoy's ring wouldn't last forever. There wasn't enough time for him to learn a new trade before it ran out. Severus desperately wished he could still make potions. He could make a fortune overnight with a simple hair-growing potion. He didn't care that it was illegal to sell magic to Muggles. The Ministry could go sod off for all he cared. Besides, he would only sell it as an herbal cure to private clients. Unfortunately, every potion known started with the same ingredient: a fire stared magically. Without magic in the fire, the ingredients would never coalesce. Severus had gone to the Muggle libraries and bookstores many times to find an answer to this. If he could locate a magical object that could start a fire on its own, he would be able to make potions again.

Severus removed the silver pocket watch from his black trench coat and checked the time. It was nearly four in the afternoon. The pocket watch he held belonged to his late friend and co-Death Eater Travis Nott. He wondered if Travis' son Theodore would still follow in his father's footsteps. Probably not, Severus was sure Theodore had witnessed the murder of his mother by his own father. The boy had lived in his own dark world ever since. Severus had warned Travis about marrying a witch that had no idea he was a servant of the Dark Lord. He knew it would eventually end badly. For Melissa Nott, it had. 

This small pocket watch was now his only link to the Wizarding world. In the lid of the watch was a small compass arrow. The arrow didn't point north, but instead pointed to the nearest source of magic. The arrow would grow brighter the closer the watch came to the source. This would be Severus' only warning that the Death Eaters had found him.

Just after putting the watch back in his pocket, a small street rat of a girl collided with him. Severus sneered down at her; he guessed she couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old.

"My apologies, sir," said the girl with dirty blonde hair and a face to match. She then ran off in the direction of an alley between two buildings.

The sight of homeless children was something new to him. Even the poorest wizard could provide a home for his family. Here, if a child wasn't wanted, they were simply thrown away like trash. Most turning dirty little thieves and, later, prostitutes.

Severus suddenly reached for the pocket where he had just put the watch; it was gone. "Bloody brilliant," he shouted angrily at himself. He ran for the alley. The girl only had a ten second head start.

As he sprinted down the alleyway, he caught sight of the dirty yellow and blue jumper the little thief was wearing. She was just turning left at the far end of the alley. He ran faster; with any luck, he could catch her before she got to the other end of the building. He turned left and was stopped dead in his tracks. The alley dead-ended into a solid brick wall. "Impossible," he frustratingly said. He searched for a storm drain or manhole she could have used to escape, but there was nothing. She had simply disappeared.

Severus just smirked to himself as he stared at the brick wall. 'The little piece of street trash thinks she's clever,' he thought. He would show her that stealing from a Slytherin was a very bad idea. 

For three day he staked out the spot along the Thames River where the girl had stolen his watch. He knew she would return eventually. Her escape had been too perfect for just chance. She knew this spot very well and had a safe way out if she was followed. It was just after noon when he finally spotted her. The girl was still wearing the same dirty yellow and blue jumper. She walked merrily along as if she didn't have a care in the world. But her eyes gave her away. She was scanning the crowd, looking for possible targets. It didn't take her long to find one. She bumped into a very heavyset woman and, as quick as a cat, removed something from the woman's handbag. She apologized; then headed for the alley. Snape didn't follow. He knew there was only one other way out of that alley. He would meet her there.

Ten minutes later and a block and a half to the east, she appeared out of the alley. Snape followed from a distance. He hoped she would lead him back to her lair. With any luck, she might still have the watch there.

For almost an hour he followed the little girl. His many years as a spy for the Order guaranteed she wouldn't spot him. The girl stopped next to a small flower shop. Outside the shop were several bouquets of flowers. The girl approached a dozen long stem red roses. Snape watched from the shadows across the street. He wondered if the girl was daring enough to steal a rose right in front of the store. She looked both ways to make sure no one was watching her. She then touched her fingertip to one of the roses petals. Severus watched in amazement as the flower changed from red to pink. The girl smiled, touching another rose, turning it yellow.

"A Floramagus," Severus said in amazement.

A Floramagus was a witch with a magical green thumb. They were very rare and highly sought after for their gifts. Severus only knew one current living Floramagus: Madam Willowborn. Her potions ingredients were the best and most expensive in the world. A smile crept across his face. There, standing across the street, was a treasure buried under dirt and raggedy clothes. If the girl truly were homeless, the Ministry would know nothing about her. Severus had found his ticket back into the world of magic, and she was all his.

For another five minutes the girl played with the flowers. Once she had converted all the dozen roses to the colors of a rainbow, she finally moved on. He followed her for another couple of blocks. The girl eventually stopped at an old abandoned building that once was a carpet supply store. She quickly checked her surroundings, and then darted through a hole in the fence on the side. Severus hurriedly approached the dilapidated, boarded up building. It looked like it would collapse under its own weight in a good rainstorm. He carefully squeezed himself through the gap in the chain link fence.

Behind the building was a small loading dock. Severus could see through the rear windows that the building had recently been the victim of fire. The place was gutted with no roof left above it. The ruins of the old building would provide less shelter than the average cardboard box.

A metallic creaking noise caught his attention. There was an old rusted Muggle delivery van with no wheels sitting on a broken concrete slab. Through the cracks in the concrete, wildflowers grew in amazing numbers. Severus knew he had found her lair. The van had a large closed cargo box with a roll-up door, behind the cab. Severus silently made his way up to the roll-up door at the back of the van. He reached down and took hold of the handle. With one forceful pull, he opened it fully. Like a trapped rat, the little girl scurried for the safety of the nearest corner.

Severus stepped inside and pulled the roll-up door shut behind him. The frightened child was cowering next to an old sofa that had mixed and matched dirty pillows on it. Severus looked above him. Two large plastic air vents in the roof were open, letting the midday sun in. The little thief's nest was a lot more organized than he'd expected. She had a sofa for sleeping; two masonry blocks and a piece of plywood made a small table. She had four milk crates filled with different knick-knacks. Another crate was full of food and soda. Nothing that needed to be cooked or would spoil. Most surprising of all was the number of books she had. He wouldn't have thought a girl like this would have attended enough school to be an avid reader. He noticed most of the books were cheap paperback mystery and romance novels. She apparently only read to escape her life, not for any educational value. Still, it was impressive for a girl her age and situation to read this much.

The girl continued to tremble in the corner, not saying a word. He wondered what was going through her mind at that moment. She probably believed he was some kind of predator they preyed on little girls like her. "What is your name?" he forcefully asked.

"L-L-Lisa," she frightfully answered.

"Do you remember me, Lisa?"

"No, sir," she politely said with fear in her voice. Severus picked up an empty milk crate and sat down on it.

"Three days ago, Lisa, you stole my pocket watch from me. It was silver with a large snake on it. I will need it back," he told her.

"I have a dog, Mister. He's a big dog with very sharp teeth. He just went out for a pee. You better leave before he gets back," she warned.

"I've been watching you for days, Lisa," he told her. He knew she had no way of knowing that it was a lie. "I know a lot about you. I know you don't have a dog. I also know you can do very special things with plants and flowers."

"Did the nuns at St Michael's send you?" she nervously asked.

"No. Why would nuns send someone after you?" Severus inquired.

"They said that I was a demon. They told me I was full of evil," she explained.

"Because of what you can do with flowers?" he asked.

She nodded.

"No, I'm not from St Michael's. I am only here for my watch. Do you still have it?"

The terrified girl slowly shook her head.

"You sold it to someone?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," she nervously stuttered.

"Whom did you sell it to?" he calmly asked.

"Teddy, the man who owns the pawnshop a couple of blocks from here," she answered. "He gave me ten quid for it. He promised me twenty for any nice pocket watches, but Teddy said that it wasn't worth much."

Severus just shook his head. A magical watch like that would cost the average wizard five hundred galleons. It was solid silver, worth at least a thousand pounds to Muggles.

Severus reached into his pocket and withdrew a large roll of pound notes. He removed two ten-pound notes from it.

"Lisa, I'm not angry with you for taking the watch. We all do what we must to survive. I know that better than anyone. I will give you twenty pounds if you help get my watch back. All you have to do is take me to see this Teddy person. I'll give you ten now, and ten after you've helped me," Snape offered.

He then took one of the notes and set it on her makeshift table in front of her. Like a whip, she snatched the bill off the table.

"All I have to do is take you to Teddy; then you'll leave me alone?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. But he had no intention of leaving her alone.

"What if Teddy doesn't want to give you the watch back?" she asked.

"There's an old Muggle saying I like to use: 'I'll make him a offer he can't refuse'," Severus told her with a calculating grin on his face.

"What's a Muggle?" she asked.

"Something neither of us is. Not anymore," he answered.

A short time later, they arrived at the Quick Exchange Pawnshop on Wilmington Street. Twice on their way there, Severus thought the girl would flee down an alleyway and disappear from sight. She apparently realized that he would just track her back to the van. She would have to give up her little home and all her belongings if she really wanted to lose him.

"That's Teddy at the counter," she said, looking through the window.

"I want you to stay right here, Lisa. I won't be but just a minute," Severus told her as he entered the shop.

Teddy was a large heavyset bald man with tattoos covering both his arms and part of his thick neck.

"What can I do you for, sir?" the big man asked as Severus approached the counter.

"I'm looking for my pocket watch. A small girl sold it to you three days ago. It's solid silver with a coiled serpent carved on the case. I would appreciate it if you would return it to me now," Severus politely asked.

A mean scowl suddenly appeared on Teddy's fat face.

"I don't know what you're on about, mate. But I don't take grift here. So why don't you just piss off!" Teddy suggested with an ugly glint in his eyes.

Even though all his magic was now gone, Severus was still left with one wizard's gift: his talent for Legilimency. It was true he could no longer enter anyone's mind and read his thoughts. But he could still tell if someone were lying to him by the emotions he saw in their eyes. Teddy was lying, and he was a man that was used to intimidating others to get his way.

"It was three days ago. You gave her ten pounds for the watch but promised twenty. If you could get it for me now, I will be on my way," Snape said in a pleasant voice.

Teddy reached under the counter and pulled out a cricket bat. He slammed it down on the counter in front of him. He placed both his hands flat on the counter and said in a threatening voice, "Your ears stop working? I said bugger off. I suggest you leave while you still can!"

"Very well," Snape nonchalantly said, and then turned to leave. Once he had Teddy at his back, Snape withdrew Malfoy's dagger from its scabbard on his belt. He whipped back around and, with one mighty thrust, he impaled Teddy's left hand to the counter top. Teddy screamed in pain. He quickly picked up the cricket bat and raised it above his head. Severus simply grabbed hold of the big man's right wrist and pulled him forward onto the counter. He no longer had any leverage to swing the bat. Steam began to rise from the wound in his hand as the magical blade started to burn him. Unable to bear the pain anymore, Teddy released his grip on the bat and reached for the dagger.

"I wouldn't do that," Snape warned as he took the bat in his hands.

Teddy didn't listen. He grabbed the dagger's handle and tried to free his hand.

"AAAWWWWW!" Teddy screamed as the dagger handle burnt his hand.

" My word, that did look terribly painful," Severus mocking told him. Teddy trembled with pain as sweat poured from his brow. "This particular dagger is Arabian. It is spelled so that no one but the possessor of its scabbard can withdraw the blade. Let me demonstrate." Snape placed his hand on the dagger handle; slowly, he twisted the blade in the man's hand. Teddy cried out again in pain. Tears rolled down his fat cheeks. "Now then, where were we. Oh yes, my pocket watch," Snape said in a serious, cold voice.

Teddy immediately pointed, with a trembling finger, to the far end of the counter at his right. "Under the counter, in a green metal box, " he desperately said.

Severus walked around the counter and retrieved the small metal box. It was locked.

"I will need the key," Snape informed him. Quickly, Teddy unclipped his keys from his belt.

"It's the small brass one," he frantically said as he threw Snape the keys.

He opened the box to see it filled with expensive Muggle wristwatches and his silver pocket watch. He took out the pocket watch, and then relocked the box. He put the box back under the counter where he'd found it.

Severus then walked back around the counter to face the big man. He lifted the cricket bat up and grasped it firmly in both his hands.

"Sorry about this, Teddy, but you don't appear to be a man of restraint," he told the big man.

He swung the bat hard, striking Teddy in the right temple. Teddy fell flat across the counter. Severus checked the big man's pulse with his finger. After making sure it was steady and strong, he withdrew the dagger from the man's hand. He wiped the blood off on the back of Teddy's shirt. After replacing the dagger in its scabbard, he headed out of the shop.

Once outside, he immediately looked for the girl. She was standing at the corner of the building next to the pawnshop. He walked over to her.

"Did Teddy give you back the watch?" she asked.

"Yes, but he needed a hand to find it," he sarcastically told her with an evil smile on his face. He handed her the other ten-pound note and said, "I wouldn't recommend ever returning to this establishment. I doubt Teddy would be pleased to see you."

"I wasn't going to. I'm going to start taking my stuff to McMurphy's on Fifth Street," she told him.

"Lisa, would you care to join me for lunch?" he asked. "It will be my treat."

"You don't want nothing in return?" she skeptically asked.

"I only wish to talk to you about your gift with flowers. I have known others with the same gift. There is a lot you need to know," he informed her.

"You've met other demons besides me?" she asked in amazement.

"You are not a demon, Lisa. You are altogether something else. The magic within you makes you special but far from unique," Severus told her. "I can tell about a world you never knew existed."

"Can we have pizza?" she happily asked.

He just smiled at her and held out his hand.

She took it.

Next chapter coming soon.

In the next chapter, we'll see what Hermione's been up to. 


	4. Partnership

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter out. I'm celebrating Valentine's Day a little late this year and have been a bit preoccupied lately. I want to personally thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter for me. I really appreciate it.

This story was beta by **Nakhash Mekashefah.** Her hard work and professional quality editing never cease to amaze me. Her ass deserves a thousand kisses on it.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO.

Chapter 04. Partnership.

Severus and his little companion sat outside Tilley's small pizzeria at a white plastic table with a large red and white umbrella coming out of the middle of it. He had purchased a large pie with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. Severus had never cared much for modern Muggle food, but he had to admit this strange disk-shaped concoction was quite tasty. Lisa, for her part, was taking full advantage of his generosity. She had almost finished with her third slice while he had just finished his first. It was apparent to Severus that this small girl rarely had a hot meal during the course of a day.

"Lisa, do you have a last name?" he asked as she reached for her fourth slice.

"Hyde, my full name is Lisa Hyde. They named me after the park I was found in," she answered.

"Were you abandoned in Hyde Park by your mother as a baby?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope. They found me halfway out of my mum. Someone had stabbed her in the park. She was already dead when I was born. They never found out who she was or who killed her," Lisa told him with a hint of regret in her eyes. It wasn't hard for Severus to believe that Lisa's mother was never identified. She was most likely a witch that met a violent end at the hands of another witch or wizard.

"Lisa, do you know what a witch is?" he asked.

"Sure. That's an ugly old lady that has warts on her face and rides a broom. She also has a black cat," Lisa explained. Severus just smiled at her. He knew several old witches that perfectly fit that description.

"No, Lisa. A witch is a girl that is born with magic inside her. A boy born with magic is called a wizard. You are a witch, Lisa. That's why you can make flowers grow and change their color. You can do many more magical things, as well," Snape explained.

"Sister Shepard said that I was born a demon. She said that my mother was a whore that must have laid with the devil, and that not even the Pope could save my soul," Lisa told him. A slight twinge of anger grew inside Severus at hearing what this small child had been told by the nun for most of her life. It was a sad fact that most people in the wizarding world were isolated from their faiths because most religions still labeled those with magical blood as evil servants of the devil. But it was wizards and witches that had the strongest faith of all. They knew for a fact that there was a life beyond this one. Magic itself was the strongest proof of all that there a god exists.

"You will have to forgive Sister Shepard's ignorance, Lisa. The fact that there are many witches and wizards in the world today is a closely guarded secret. It is for our own protection that Muggles don't know we exist," Severus told her.

"Are you a wizard?" the little girl asked with a mouthful of cheese.

"Yes," he answered.

"Can you make flowers grow, too?"

"No. That is a very special and rare talent, even for a witch. I am a Potions master. I can brew and create magical potions," he informed her.

"Magic potions? What kinds?" she asked.

"All kinds. Potions that can do anything that you can imagine, and more," he explained.

"Can you make a potion that will make me taller?"

"Yes, up to five times your original size. But taking enlargement potions before you're full-grown is dangerous. You might not shrink back completely," he warned her.

"I don't want to shrink back. I want to be tall forever," Lisa eagerly said.

"Yes, but you don't want one leg a foot longer than the other. The shrinking can be very unpredictable," Severus told her.

"Oh," she said with disappointment. By her reaction, he could tell this little witch felt very small in this big Muggle world all by herself.

"Lisa, there are many other things you can do besides making flowers grow. I can teach you how to properly use your powers. With just a little training, you could feed and clothe yourself without the need to steal from Muggles. If you want, I could even give you a warm, safe place to live," Severus suggested.

"What's the catch?" she quickly asked with a skeptical look on her small face.

"The catch is I will need your help making my potions. If you decide to help, I will even pay you a share of what I make from the potions I sell," Severus told her.

"Why do you need my help? Can't you make potions on your own?" she asked.

"I had a accident with a potion last Christmas. I now require a little help," he told her. The small girl gave him a very calculating look. Severus could tell some real thinking was going on behind her large hazel eyes.

"Ten percent," she blurted out. "But I'm still going to live on my own. You could be some kind of weirdo, after all." Severus smiled at her. He would have been a little disappointed if she took his offer without reservations.

"Very well, Miss Hyde. But I will need your assistance at least six days a week. If you show up promptly, I will give you two pounds each day, on top of what you earn from my potions. Do we have a deal?" Severus asked as he extended his hand to her.

"Only if you provide lunches," Lisa asserted as she took his hand, giving him a very businesslike look for a nine-year-old.

"You have a deal, Miss Hyde," he agreed. The little street rat gave him a dazzling smile.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thirty minutes later, Severus escorted his little treasure back to her home behind the old burnt-out carpet store. Just as they passed through the hole in the fence, Severus heard a loud crash come from behind the building. He quickly put his hand out to stop Lisa from walking to the far end. Carefully and quietly as he could, Severus peered around the corner. There were three large men going through Lisa's converted delivery lorry. They were destroying everything they could get their hands on.

"My home," Lisa whispered sadly as she watched from his side. Severus recognized one of the men immediately. It was Fat Teddy from the Quick Exchange Pawnshop. He had a white cloth bandage wrapped around his right hand. He held an icepack to his temple with his left as he shouted orders at the other two. One of the other two was just as fat as Teddy, only shorter. The other was tall and lean with a face so ugly it should be a crime to show it in public. It was obvious that Teddy was seeking some kind of revenge on little Lisa for telling about the watch. Severus didn't want to think what the three brutes would have done if they had caught her in the lorry alone.

"They're tearing up all my stuff. Can't you stop them? You're a wizard," Lisa pleaded.

Severus turned to her and said, "It's a very bad idea to show your powers to Muggles, Lisa. Remember what happened the first time the nuns saw you make the flowers grow," he said to her. He could tell by the distressed look on her small face that he had brought up a very painful memory of hers. "We can come back tomorrow and salvage what they leave."

"Stand aside, mates," Teddy barked at the other two. He took a small lighter from his pocket; leaning down, he lit a rag that was stuffed into a bottle of clear liquid. He then picked up the homemade incendiary device and threw it into the back of the lorry. A large "whoosh" erupted as it was engulfed in flames.

Severus felt Lisa grab his hand and squeeze it tightly. He looked down at the small child to see tears streaming down her cheeks. He could tell whatever sense of home she had had for this place was now lost.

"The little shit will show up eventually. When she does, she's going to pay for what she did, and then some," Teddy said with a depraved look on his face.

"Just save us some, mate," the tall piece of ugly said. "I haven't had one that young before. I bet she's really sweet."

"She won't be when we're done with her," the short, fat one said with a perverted laugh. All three men began to cruelly chuckle.

Severus had heard enough. He took Lisa by the hand and quickly headed for the fence. "Where are we going?" Lisa asked as he pulled her through.

"Back to my flat. It is the only safe place for you now," he told her.

"But I don't want to live at your flat. I don't even know you," she told him with a bit of fear in her voice.

Severus knelt down next to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "I understand that you're afraid, Lisa. But if I meant you any harm, I would have done so as soon as I found you in the back of that lorry. The truth is I need you. And with those three trolls prowling the streets looking for you, Lisa, you need me as well," he told her. Lisa still had a very uncertain look in her eyes. Trust was something that didn't come naturally to this girl. She reminded him an awful lot of himself. Severus realized that this girl was a Slytherin through and through. He unclipped Malfoy's bejeweled gold dagger from his belt and handed it to her. "Take this. It is a magical dagger that will help protect you from all your enemies. Consider it a gift of good faith on my part," he told her.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful knife. "How much is it worth?" she asked as she walked alongside him.

"A small fortune, so don't let it be seen by anyone," Severus told the now smiling child. She quickly put the knife in the waistband of her trousers and pulled her jumper over it. He reached his hand out to her. Lisa took it. Together they headed for home.

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"ALIVE? ARE YOU NUTS?" Harry asked Hermione, giving her a bewildered look as they stood in the Room of Requirement.

"Snape is dead, Hermione. Everyone knows that," Ron said from her left.

"I don't believe that, Ron. Too many things aren't adding up. I'm convinced Professor Snape survived that night," Hermione forcefully said.

"But, Hermione, how is that possible?" Harry asked. "You're the one that told us he was dead."

"That's what I thought at first. But I think he might have survived," she told them.

"He was bleeding to death on a hillside in freezing temperatures with a poisonous potion sucking his life away. How can anyone survive that?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I'm convinced he did," she spiritedly told Ron.

"Hermione, even if Snape survived the potion, he wouldn't have survived the Death Eaters. They would have killed him for sure," Harry told her.

"That's only true if he stayed on that hill, and I'm convinced he didn't," Hermione stated.

"What makes you think that?" Ron asked.

"To start with, we haven't found his body. If Old Red Eyes did kill him, he would certainly have made sure Snape's body was mutilated and displayed somewhere very public. He'd want everyone to know what happens to traitors in his ranks. The Order has also heard rumors that the Death Eaters are looking for someone. And I overheard Draco say that one day he will avenge his father's death. How can he do that unless Professor Snape is still alive?" she asked.

"Hermione, Draco could have been talking about you. He probably blames you just as much as he does Snape for his father's death. The Order heard rumors the Death Eaters are searching for something, but not necessarily a person. They could be looking for Voldemort's wand. As for why we haven't found his body, maybe they blasted it with so many hexes nothing was left to display," Harry suggested.

"That doesn't explain the ring," she told them.

"What ring?" they both asked.

"The Malfoy signet ring. When Lucius Malfoy died, it should have gone to Draco as the next heir of Malfoy. It's been months, and I've never seen him with it. He is supposed to wear it all the time, like his father. I think Professor Snape took it before he left that hill," Hermione explained.

"Maybe one of the of Death Eaters stole it. I wouldn't put robbing the dead past any of them," Ron said. "What would Snape want with Malfoy's ring, anyway?" he asked.

"For money. It was very valuable. He would need a lot of money if he were to live as a Muggle," Hermione said. Both Harry and Ron began to laugh. Hermione could feel her blood begin to boil as they mocked her. She knew she should have gone to the headmaster first.

"A Muggle? Snape? Hermione, you can't be serious?" Ron asked through bouts of laughter.

"Of course I'm serious, which is more than I can say for the two of you," she heatedly told them.

"It's just so hard to believe. Old Snape as a Muggle, it's impossible," Harry told her.

"It's not impossible, Harry. He's a Slytherin; they'll do anything to survive. Even if that means becoming a Muggle," Hermione told her friend.

"Hermione, this thing you've got for Snape is starting to worry us," Ron told her.

"What thing?" she demanded.

"It's like you're obsessed with the greasy old bat. Ever since he died, it's all you think about anymore," Ron told her.

"He's not dead!" she flatly stated. "And excuse me if I care about what happened to the person that saved me from a fate worse than death. Do you two understand what they were about to do to me? I would have been raped twelve times over and then murdered. He gave up everything to save me."

"Hermione, it's not that we're not grateful for what he did for you. I just never thought Snape would do that for anyone, especially one of us. But he's gone now, just like Sirius. You know how long it took me to get over him. You will need to let Snape go, too. Holding onto something that's gone forever is very bad for your soul, Hermione. You just need to learn to except it, like I did, and it will be ok," Harry assured her.

"He's not dead and I'll prove it. Even if it takes the rest of my life," she angrily said as she left the room in a huff.

Hermione was angry that Harry and Ron didn't believe her. She wanted to go to Professor Dumbledore with her suspicions but was afraid he'd say the same as her friends. What she needed was real proof that Professor Snape was still alive. Hermione decided that she would head back to that hill in the countryside and find something that would tell her what really happened to Snape.

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Next chapter coming soon.

Here's another question for my readers. What kind of proof should Hermione find that points to the possibility that Snape is still alive? Remember, she should be the only one looking for him.

Please read and review, so I know what you think.


	5. My New Home

-Author's Notes:

Thanks for being patient with me, my loyal readers. I hope to get one more chapter out before the new book gets here.

This story was beta'd by **Nakhash Mekashefah.** She cooks, she cleans and she proofreads chapters. But she doesn't do windows.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO

Chapter 05. My New Home.

It took almost two and a half hours for Severus and his little guest to reach his building. His loft took up the whole third floor. The ground floor had an antique bookstore in it, and the other two were split up into four small flats. Severus placed his key into the door that let to the stairwell; as soon as the door opened, five cats belonging to Mrs. Stuffle on the second floor ran out.

"Are those your cats?" Lisa asked with a smile.

"No, they belong to the old widow on the second floor. I believe she has at least ten, if not more," Severus answered her with a look of disgust on his face.

"Is she a witch, too?" Lisa excitedly asked.

"No, she's just a senile old Muggle woman. Thankfully, her large collection of familiars guarantees that none of the other flats in this building will be rented anytime soon," he explained.

"What's a familiar?" she asked, following him up the steps.

"Muggles call them pets. Wizards and witches call them familiars because of our closer relationships with them. All animals can sense magic, Miss Hyde. Some are even attracted to it," Severus told her. The girl had asked him over a hundred questions already that afternoon. Normally, he would have told her to keep quiet and wait until he explained things in due course. But he knew his normal teaching methods might frighten this girl away. He just hoped he could control his anger until he had gained the girl's trust.

Before opening the door to his flat, Severus took a look at his newly reacquired pocket-watch. The needle in the top of the watch pointed at Lisa. If there were wizards on the other side of the door, they would have to have less magic than a nine-year-old, untrained witch. He opened the door slowly just in case. Severus cautiously entered his loft, lighting candles as he went. There was a small click from behind and a bright light filled the room. Severus quickly dove for cover behind his large sofa. He reached for his dagger, before remembering that he had given it to the girl.

Severus looked back at the doorway he had just entered. Little Lisa was still standing there with her hand on the Muggle light switch next to the door.

"It was a bit dark," she told him as she entered and closed the door behind her.

It took all of his self-control not to sneer at her as he got back to his feet. Severus had forgotten about the large fluorescentlamp in the ceiling of his loft. He didn't trust Muggle electricity. He always kept the few Muggle appliances he had unplugged when not in use.

"I prefer candlelight, Miss Hyde, all wizards do," Severus told her as he switched off the overhead light.

"Why?"

"We just do," he answered, sounding annoyed.

"You're not afraid that the place will catch fire?" Lisa asked as she surveyed his loft.

"No, I've been using candles to see by since I was born. If you intend to become a proper witch, you will learn to see by candlelight as well," he told her.

"Do you live here all by yourself?" she asked, as she looked the place over.

His loft was large. Years ago it was used to make dresses and other textile products. At least twenty young women would slave away all day behind Muggle sewing machine here. Now there was nothing left to say that this had once been a sweatshop, but for the two large industrial sinks that were in the middle of what was now his kitchen. The only other room was the loo. It had just a sink, shower and toilet. It was all a bachelor needed.

"Yes, I live by myself," he answered as he continued to light candles.

"It's big for just one person," Lisa told him as she made her way over to one window. "And it's kinda creepy."

"It suits my purposes, Miss Hyde. It's private, cheap and is well ventilated. The roof doesn't leak and the plumbing works," he told her.

"There's only one bed here," Lisa said as she looked at the small bed in the corner of the room. "Where will I sleep?"

"You can have the bed. I will take the sofa until other arrangements can be made. If that's all right with you, Miss Hyde?" he asked.

"Please don't call me that," she asked.

"What?"

"Miss Hyde. It's not my real name. It's just the name they gave me," Lisa said with a sad look in her eyes.

"If the name bothers you so, why not choose another?" he suggested.

"I can do that?" she asked.

"Of course. You have no family lineage to be loyal to," he told her.

Lisa wrinkled up her small brow in thought. "I can choose anything I want?" she asked.

"Yes, but choose wisely. Your name is very important. It will be with you for a long time," he told her.

"I'm going to have to think about it," she said.

"Very well, but don't take too long. I prefer not using my students' given names," Severus said.

"Students? Are you some kind of teacher?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm a Potions professor," he answered.

"Ooh, can we make a potion now? Lisa excitedly asked.

"No, not today. We will require the proper equipment and ingredients first," he told her. "Tomorrow, you will go to Diagon Alley and buy us an owl."

"What's Diagon Alley?" Lisa asked with a look of hesitation on her face.

"It's a shopping place here in London for witches and wizards. Most everything a witch or wizard could ever need is for sale there," he told her.

"What is the owl for? Are we going to cook it?" she asked.

"No, wizards use owls the same way Muggles use postmen. If you wish to send someone a letter or to order something, you need an owl. It will be easier for us just to order our supplies by owl," he said. "You will need to buy the largest owl you can find. It will have to carry all of the equipment that I order. There is a store called Eeylops Owl Emporium that should have what we need."

"Am I just getting an owl, nothing else?" she asked.

"No, you will also stop at the Apothecary and bring back one of their mail order catalogs," Severus told her. "You must not stay in Diagon Alley too long, Miss Hy… Lisa. It can be a very dangerous place for an untrained witch such as yourself. You must not speak to anyone. Just buy the owl and get the catalogs. I can handle everything after that."

"If it's so dangerous, why don't you go buy the owl?" Lisa asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"Because of my accident, I cannot perform any magic. Only a person who can use magic is allowed to enter Diagon Alley," he explained.

"You don't have any wizard friends that can buy you an owl?" Lisa asked.

"No, Lisa. It is very important that no one in Diagon Alley know about me. If anyone asks, tell them you're buying the owl for your elderly grandmother," Severus told her in a serious tone of voice.

"Are you wanted by the law, there?" she asked, giving him another skeptical look. Severus was almost proud that her Slytherin mind kept asking the right questions.

"No, I am not wanted by the authorities. But I do have very powerful enemies. They would find me easy prey if they were to learn where I was and that I was no longer able to use magic," he told her.

"If you can't do magic, how will we make potions?" she asked.

"All I need to make a potion is for the fire that heats the cauldron to be started magically. That's where you come in, my dear," he told her.

"I don't know how to start a fire," she told him.

"You will use a wand," he told her.

"Will I buy a wand in Diagon Alley, tomorrow?" she excitedly asked.

"No. Under no circumstances are you to buy a wand. If you do, it will be registered with the Ministry of Magic immediately, letting them know that you are a witch. They will place you in a wizarding orphanage until you're old enough to go to Wizarding School. Wizards are not very kind to orphans, Lisa. Family and bloodlines are very highly praised in our world. You would not like the treatment you would receive if you fell into Ministry hands," he warned.

"It can't be worse than the nuns at St. Michael's," she told him.

"You would be surprised," he said.

"Where will I get a wand if I can't buy one?" Lisa asked.

Severus removed Malfoy's silver-headed walking stick from the two hooks on the wall where he had it mounted. He pointed the head of the cane at her and said, "Pull on the silver snake head."

She did as he asked. With just a slight tug, Malfoy's hidden wand pulled free of the cane. Lisa looked at the small ten-inch long piece of black polished wood in her hand.

That is a wand, Lisa," he told her.

"Wowwww," she said dreamily as she studied the wand. "How do I make it start a fire?" she asked.

Severus set the cane down and stood directly behind her. He was secretly praying to himself that the wand would work for her. "Place the base of the wand in the palm of your right hand," he instructed. "Now close your hand around it. Keep your thumb on the top and curl your other fingers underneath."

Severus demonstrated with his own hand. Lisa copied his grip.

"There are three things important to casting a spell, Lisa," Severus told Lisa as he took hold of her wrist in his right hand. "The first is proper wand movement. Each spell has a different movement. The movement for the spell that will start a fire is an open-ended figure eight, with the open end to the right." He moved her hand to show her the proper movement. He did it three times before letting her do it on her own. "The second part to casting a spell is proper pronunciation of the spell. This spell is pronounced _Incendio_. That's in-CEN-dee-o" he pronounced for her.

"In-CEN-dee-o," she repeated slowly.

"Correct, but let it flow off your tongue smoothly. _Incendio_," he instructed.

"_Incendio_," she said.

"Very good. Now, third and most important is to picture clearly in your mind what you wish the spell to do. Now this is a very simple spell. All you have to do is picture fire coming out of the tip of your wand. Clear your mind and think only of that," he told her. "Are you ready, Lisa?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said nervously.

"Very well. Picture the fire in your mind. Pronounce the spell as you do the wand movement. The movement should start when you speak and end the same time you finish the word. On the count of three, I want you to try and cast the spell. ONE, TWO, THREE!" he shouted.

"_INCENDIO_!" Lisa shouted as she did the wand movement. Two small sparks and a slight puff of smoke sputtered out of the wand's tip. "Oh, why didn't it work?" Lisa asked with disappointment in her voice.

"It did work, Lisa," he told her with a slight smile on his face. "I would have been very surprised if a large flame had erupted from this wand on only your first attempt. It takes practice to properly direct the magic in your blood. The important thing is the wand did try to do as you asked. With a little more concentration, you will easily start a fire. You can practice some more after we have dinner."

"Great, I'm starved. What are we having?" she asked.

"I have some frozen dinners in the Muggle cool-box. They're not very good, but can be filling," he told her. He reached into the freezer and pulled two out. "You have a choice of Fish and Chips or Salisbury Steak. Although I don't see how they can possibly call this a steak. I'm not even sure if there is any meat in it."

"I'll take the Salisbury Steak. I don't like seafood," she told him.

"Very well. I'll just put these in the oven and they will be ready in about forty minutes, according to the package," Severus said as he read the back of one of the dinners.

"Why not just use the microwave? It only take seven minutes," Lisa said as she read the back of her dinner.

"It's broken," he said with an irritated look on his face. "Every time I try to heat up a pot of beans with that infernal machine, it just throws sparks everywhere."

"You're not putting a metal pot in there, are you?" she asked.

"Of course. What else would I put beans in?" he asked.

"You can't put metal in a microwave. I'm only nine and I know that," she said with a smile.

"I am unfamiliar with these Muggle devices. In time, I would have figured them out," he assured her.

Lisa took a quick look around. "Do you have a telly?" she asked.

"A what?"

"A television?" she asked.

"Yes. I have a small one. It's in the cupboard under the sink," he told her.

"Why do you keep it there?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"I prefer to read," he told her.

"Me too, but some telly is nice once in a while," she said as she looked under the sink for the TV. "Only a19-inch, this is small," she told him while pulling the set out of the cupboard.

"You will shortly find that Muggle entertainment will be less interesting now that you know about the magical world," he told her. "It's good that you're fond of reading. One of the first things I will order is a complete set of first year magical text books for you to study."

"Magic books? Will they teach me how to do more spells with my wand?" she gleefully asked.

"Yes, with my instruction, you will know more that any fourth year before it is time for you to go to Hogwarts," Severus proudly stated.

"What's Hogwarts?" Lisa asked as she set the TV on the small table in front of the sofa.

"A wizarding school. You will go there when you're eleven," he told her.

"What if I don't want to go?" she challenged.

"It's a large castle in Scotland. You will get to learn magic with wizards and witches your own age. There you will be considered normal," he explained.

"It does sound nice. Do I have to wait until I'm eleven?" she asked.

"When is your birthday?" he inquired.

"January tenth," she replied.

"No, you have to wait until you're eleven. If your eleventh birthday was before the winter holidays, you could start at ten. Don't worry, the extra time will give me ample opportunity to prepare you for life at Hogwarts," Severus told her as he put the dinners in the microwave. Standing back as far as he could, Severus turned the appliance on. He let out a sigh of relief when no sharks erupted from the small oven.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was just after dawn as Hermione and her reluctant partner, Tonks, Apparated to the small hilltop in the Scottish countryside. The early spring morning was still very cold.

"Well, we're here," Tonks announced as she set the Aurors detection kit down on the ground next to her. "Just what are we looking for, anyway?" she asked as she rubbed her hands together for warmth.

"Clues," Hermione answered as she opened Tonk's detection kit.

"It's been months. Do you really think we'll find anything?" Tonks skeptically asked.

"We'll never know until we look," Hermione said as she pulled a large magnifying glass the size of a tennis racket out of the leather briefcase. It was actually a Magna-Glass. Anything with a magical signature would show up with a slight red glow if seen through it.

"Hermione, why don't we just use Detection powder? We could do the whole hill in five minutes," Tonks suggested.

"The powder could corrupt the evidence," Hermione told her.

"Corrupt the evidence? You sound like Kingsley," Tonks told her. "He'd have my head if he knew I took this kit out of the Ministry."

"He won't know. We'll have it back before he's done with breakfast," Hermione assured her.

"We'd better, or it's both are arses," Tonks said as she took a Wizascope out of the case to see what the last spells cast here were. "Do you really think Snape is still alive?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm sure he is," Hermione flatly answered.

"You know you're the only one that thinks so. Even Dumbledore thinks the greasy twit bought it last Christmas."

"I know. That's why I need to find proof," Hermione told her.

"How can you be so sure if you don't have any proof yet?" Tonks asked.

"It just a bunch of little things that don't add up. Just call it a hunch," Hermione explained.

"Woman's intuition, it's seldom wrong," Tonks said with a smile. "Hey, Hermione, can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure."

"When I was at Hogwarts, I kinda had a crush on Snape my sixth year," Tonks said, a bit of embarrassment to her voice.

"What?" Hermione said in surprise.

"He was a bit younger then, Hermione," Tonks said with a fresh blush in her cheeks. "There was just something about those billowing robes and that tight double-breasted frock coat of his that just had me wondering what was under all those buttons."

"Tonks!" Hermione shouted.

"What, like you've never thought of Snape that way?" Tonks accused.

"Of course not. He's my Professor," Hermione stated.

"Is that why you kissed him?" Tonks asked with a wicked smile on her face.

"It was a thank you kiss," Hermione informed her.

"Sure it was," Tonks agreed with sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

"Just get to work, you dirty-minded chit," Hermione said with a slight smile on her lips.

For more than half an hour, they searched the hillside. Hermione had found several spots that glowed slightly red. They were what were left of the wizards' blood that had been spilled that night. When she searched the area next to a large rock on the east side of the hill, Hermione spotted something. In the grass was a small glass vial. Inside the vial was just a trace of some kind of dried blue substance. Hermione sniffed the vial. The odor was so powerful it brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh, Merlin, what is this?" Hermione asked as she wiped her eyes.

Tonks came over and took the glass vial from her. She took one sniff and nearly fell over. "Blimey, that's Dragon Tears," she exclaimed.

"Dragon Tears?" Hermione asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"They won't teach you about this stuff at Hogwarts. It's adrenaline taken from a dragon hatchling's brain. It's a very powerful and illegal drug," Tonks explained. "One vial of this stuff is worth five hundred Galleons in Knockturn Alley."

"It's a stimulant?" Hermione asked.

"The strongest one known," Tonks answered.

Hermione studied the vial for a couple of seconds. A smile suddenly appeared on her face.

"What?" Tonks asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"I think I know how Professor Snape was able to survive that night," Hermione told her.

"You think Snape drank the Dragon Tears?"

"Yes, it might have given him just enough extra strength to walk out of here," Hermione told her. "I think he went east."

"Why east?" Tonks asked.

"He told me that he wanted to see the sunrise. He would have walked facing it," she answered. Hermione put the Magna-Glass back in the case. She picked it up and headed east.

"Are we going to walk? It's freezing out here" Tonks said as she followed Hermione off the hill.

"Yes. We need to see where the Professor might have gone," she told Tonks.

"You know, we might find his bleached bones out here," Tonks suggested.

"I don't think so. You're forgetting my woman's intuition," Hermione said as the tall dry grass crunched under her feet.

"That's right. Your bloody hunch," Tonks said as she followed the determined Gryffindor into the cold Scottish countryside.

A couple of hours later, they arrived at a small sheep farm. The old farmer that greeted them said that he knew nothing about a wounded man that might have shown up on Christmas morning. Hermione knew the man wasn't telling the truth. He was a bad liar and he was wearing Lucius Malfoy's heavy winter cloak.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Next chapter coming soon.

Hermione is headed to Diagon Alley. Guess whom she runs into?

I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. It's what keeps me going. And I love to write this stuff.;-)


	6. A Differrent World

Author's Notes:

This story was beta'd by **Nakhash Mekashefah.** This green goddess has been faithfully helping me for over a year now. If I could wrap Severus Snape up in a bow and mail him to her as a thank you gift, I would.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO

Chapter 05. A Different World

After enjoying an early Saturday breakfast of cherry Pop-Tarts and cereal, then doing a little clothes shopping for Lisa, Severus brought his new charge to the Leaky Cauldron. He was still feeling a bit queasy after using one of London's infernal Muggle taxis. Severus knew the shabby-looking inn sat between the large bookshop and the record store across the street from them on Charing Cross Road, but he couldn't see it. This was absolute proof that he was now a Muggle.

The fact that his magic was completely gone didn't bother Severus too much. He still had the brain of a Potions master. He was confident that, given enough time, he could undo the potion's effect. Now that he had Lisa, potions were once again a part his life. Living without the use of his wand was just a minor inconvenience.

"Do you see that pub across the street, between the bookshop and record store, Lisa?" Severus asked.

"Yeah. It doesn't look too friendly," she nervously answered.

"Don't worry yourself, Lisa. You won't have to spend any time there," he assured her. "Just go straight out the back to the alley. Remember what I told you. Tap the centre brick in the wall. Three up… Two across…"

Lisa gave him a slightly hesitant look, and asked, "Are you sure you can't come with me?"

Normally, a student's hesitation made Severus' blood boil. But looking into Lisa's large hazel eyes, Severus couldn't feel even the smallest hint of anger toward the girl. Most of his students were over-privileged dunderheads, spoiled rotten by their parents. Many believed Potions was just a cooking class. But this small child was different. Unlike the rest of his students, she'd had to learn to fend for herself almost from the time she was born. Severus understood more than most how cruel the world could be, even to a child.

"Not this time, Lisa. It would be very dangerous for you to be seen with me," he answered. "In a month, after I brew some Polyjuice Potion to disguise myself, we will return so I can show you what the wizarding world has to offer. You must not dilly-dally around, Lisa. Just buy the owl and get the Apothecary catalogues. Diagon Alley is relatively safe, but it's easy to get yourself in trouble if you're unfamiliar with your surroundings," he warned.

"OK, but if there's something really scary in there, I'm going to want another ten quid," Lisa said in a very business-like way.

Severus just raised an eyebrow, and said, "If it poses a real threat, you can have the ten pounds."

"Ten pounds for each real threat, deal?" Lisa asked, holding out her hand to confirm their oral contract.

"Agreed," Severus said, as he shook her small hand. The girl was such a little Slytherin sometimes.

Severus took Lucius' black velvet money pouch out of his pocket and handed it to Lisa. "There is over a hundred Galleons in there, plenty enough to buy an owl at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Get the strongest owl they have. A Brown or Tawny should suffice," he suggested. "It will have to carry heavy loads at least four times a week. Go now. It's still early, but the weekend shoppers will fill the streets of Diagon Alley by noon."

Lisa took the pouch of gold from him. She sighed once and headed across the street to the Leaky Cauldron. Severus had purchased a small black cloak for her from a costume shop. It wasn't a robe, but it would hide her Muggle jeans and tee shirt. Severus thought she looked endearing with the cloak billowing behind her small body. He actually let himself smile, after she disappeared into the pub. Severus felt a small twinge of guilt. He knew he was putting the girl at danger for his own personal needs. But he also knew that he could offer Lisa a life she could never have dreamt of.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

One look inside the Leaky Cauldron and Lisa knew Mr Smith would owe her that ten quid. Lisa had never been in a pub before, but she was certain this wasn't a typical one. The place was filled with strange people doing strange things. A bald, toothless bartender was making several shot-glasses dance across the bar with his wand. The shot-glasses were stacking themselves neatly into a large pyramid at the far end. Two small creatures with sharp teeth and long, pointed ears were sitting at a table in the corner eating raw steak and speaking in a strange language with their bloodstained lips. On the other side of the room were three very old women sitting at a table sorting a pile of live snakes. Lisa was relieved that the women and the snakes were on the opposite side of the pub from the alley entrance. Not wanting to make eye contact with anyone, Lisa lowered her head and headed straight for the back door.

Past the smelly trash bins, Lisa came to the brick wall. Once she located the centre brick, Lisa tapped three up and two across with her new wand. Her eyes grew large with amazement as the bricks rearranged themselves into an archway. She could see the cobblestone street that lay on the other side. Nervously, she placed her right hand through the archway to make sure it was real. Taking no chances that she would get stuck, Lisa backed up and leapt through the archway. She landed on her knees next to a tall, grey-haired witch. The women just shook her head and said, "Muggle-borns." Then walked through the archway towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Lisa got off her knees and looked around. It was like she had gone back in time to nineteenth century London. The strange assortment of shops and restaurants looked hundreds of years old. Almost everyone on the street was wearing long heavy robes and pointy hats. The first store to her right was the Apothecary shop. Only four shops down, on her left, was Eeylops Owl Emporium. It wouldn't take long for Lisa to finish her business here. She headed straight for the owl shop.

Eeylops actually smelled like an Owl Emporium, which had to be similar to how a chicken coop smelled. Hundreds of owls were in cages stacked to the ceiling in rows, filling the small shop. Most of the owls were dozing quietly. Some hooted as she entered. Lisa's eyes were draw to a large glass aquarium filled with hundreds of squirming rats that sat on a large stand by the store counter. Written on the glass was "Owl Food. Five Knuts Apiece or Two for Eight."

"How can I be of service, Miss?" A weedy but handsome young man with black hair and a perfect smile, standing behind the counter, politely asked her.

"I need an owl," she meekly told him.

"We have all kinds of owls here. You'll have to be a touch more specific, Miss" the young man said, still smiling at her.

"Um, well, my grandmother asked me to get her an owl," Lisa said, remembering the story that she and Mr Smith had rehearsed. "She can't move around much anymore. She wanted me to get the strongest owl I could find. One that can make several trips a day with heavy loads."

"Will this owl be making long or short trips?" he asked.

"Short, mostly. Grandmother is an amateur potions maker. She needs it to do her shopping for her," Lisa answered.

"Well, I think we have just the thing," the young man said, as he came out from behind the counter. He walked over and picked up a cage by the door. "Here we are. This Tawny is two years old, very strong. Its line was magically enhanced twenty-three generations ago. Anything over ten is good for a Tawny." He set the owl and cage on the counter for her inspection.

Lisa look at the tag tied to the cage. It said the owl's name was Igor and that it cost twenty Galleons. She didn't know a thing about owls, but this one looked a bit on the thin side to her.

"D'you got anything bigger?" she asked. "Something with a bit more meat on its bones."

"Of course. How big do you want?" the young man asked, as he placed Igor back by the front door.

"My grandmother said to get the strongest owl you have," Lisa told him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and said, "The strongest owl we have, you say? Well, I have to go to the back room for that."

Without another word, the young man disappeared into the back of the shop. Lisa could hear him struggling with something heavy back there. Suddenly, all the owls in the shop became restless in their cages. It was as if they all smelt a predator as it entered the store. The young man reappeared with a very large cage on a four-wheeled dolly. There was an old grey blanket covering the cage. The young man pulled the blanket off the cage, revealing the largest bird Lisa had ever seen.

"Miss, I'd like to introduce you to Goliath. He's an African Giant Eagle Owl. The biggest owl in the world."

Lisa stared at the creature with amazement. The owl was nearly as big as she.

"Goliath's line was magically enhanced over a hundred generations ago. This bird's ancestors were doing wizard's work at the time of Hogwarts' founders a thousand years ago. Goliath is twenty-seven years old. He's just entered his prime. He can carry eleven stone across Europe in a single day. That's guaranteed. He can pick up a grown wizard, if he wants. But I wouldn't recommend travelling that way, not with his talons. He eats three rats a day if you keep him caged. He can hunt for himself, but I recommend cage feeding."

Lisa looked at the huge grey bird with pink eyelids. It stared back at her with its large orange eyes. The price tag on the cage said sixty Galleons, which was marked down to thirty Galleons, and then again to fifteen.

"Why's he been marked down twice?" Lisa asked, giving the man a sceptical look.

The young man suddenly had an uncomfortable look on his face. "Well, you see, Goliath has a bit of a colourful background. He used to belong to a wizarding family that might have supported You-Know-Who."

"Who's You-Know-Who?" she asked.

The young man just stared at her with a peculiar look on his face. Lisa had seen that look before. The nuns at St Michael's used to give it to her after she had done something strange.

"What family used to own him?" Lisa quickly asked, trying to change the subject.

"The Macnairs. Walden Macnair's widow sold us Goliath shortly after her husband died last winter. But he's in excellent health and there isn't a trace of Dark magic in him. That's also guaranteed. He's worth a lot more than the sixty Galleons we first marked him at, but most people are bit superstitious about owning an owl that once belong to a DE, or anything else for that matter. I know that better than anyone," he explained with a sad look on his face.

Lisa didn't know what DE stood for and wasn't going to make the same mistake again in asking. This owl looked like it was strong enough to do the job, and that's all that really mattered.

"I'll take him," she said firmly.

This brought a smile the young man face. "Excellent choice, Miss. You're getting a great bird for next to nothing. He'll serve you and your grandmother well. I'm going to throw in a dozen rats so that he has a couple days' food. If you do let him hunt, just keep in mind that he'll eat anything under ten pounds. That includes small dogs and cats. So I recommend cage feeding if there are a lot of small pets in your neighbourhood," he warned. The young man waved his wand a the cash register, making the bell sound, and said, "It'll be 15 Galleons and 7 Sickles. Sorry, we haven't included the new war tax on our prices yet."

'What war tax? What war?' she wanted to ask but didn't. Instead, Lisa just turned her back to him and opened the money pouch Mr Smith had given her. She quickly removed 16 gold coins from it. After tucking the black pouch back into the waistband of her jeans, she turned around and set the money on the counter.

"Keep the change," she said with a smile.

"Thank you very much, My Lady. It's been a pleasure serving you. If you have any questions about your bird, just owl me here. I'm Teddy. Teddy Nott," he said with a warm smile, as he started stuffing rats into a plain burlap sack. Lisa felt her face begin to blush a little after being called "My Lady" for the first time. If most people in the magical world were like Teddy, she was really going to like it here. After finishing with the rats, Teddy lifted Goliath's heavy cage off his dolly and set it down in front of her with a loud grunt.

"Teddy, I have a question. How'm I supposed to carry him and his cage home? They look very heavy to me," she asked.

Teddy just chuckled and said, "Little Miss, you have an owl, now. There's no reason for you to carry anything heavy again."

Teddy opened the cage and Goliath shot out on the wing with just a single flap. He looked as big as an aeroplane, with his huge wings spread. There was just enough room in the small store for him to circle once and land on top of his own cage. As soon as Teddy tossed the squeaking sack of rats into the cage and shut the door, Goliath took off again, this time with his cage in his talons. He was out the door and into the sky before Lisa could blink an eye.

"Wait, he doesn't know where I live!" Lisa shouted, as she ran to the door and looked into the morning sky. But there was no sign of Goliath.

"Of course he knows where you live. He wouldn't be much of an owl if he couldn't find his masters' home, would he?" Teddy assured her.

Lisa would have asked him how that was possible, but she didn't want to arouse any more suspicion that she didn't belong here. She would just have to take it on faith that Teddy knew what he was talking about.

"Goodbye, Teddy," Lisa said as she was leaving, giving him a warm smile and a quick wave.

"Goodbye, Little Miss. Send Goliath back when you're out of rats. They're on sale all month long," Teddy replied.

Lisa was quite happy with herself. She had gotten a great deal on an owl, paying far less than it was worth. She was just about to head back towards the Apothecary shop, when she saw a sign saying "ICE CREAM" a few shops down. Lisa hadn't had any ice cream since leaving the orphanage. Even then, it was just once a year.

'I saved Mr Smith a lot of money on that owl. One little treat isn't too much to ask,' she told herself.

Lisa was amazed at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour. The small rainbow-coloured building looked like something out of a dream. A sandwich-board sign out front said "Vanilla Ice-Cream Snowman Cone. Just Ten Knuts."

Lisa took one silver sickle out of her money pouch and placed it on the counter. "One Snowman Cone, please," she ordered.

A very round but cheerful-looking woman smiled at her, and asked, "Do you want it spelled or unspelled?"

"Spelled," Lisa answered, not knowing what the difference was.

The woman took a paper-wrapped sugar cone and put three scoops of vanilla ice cream on it, each scoop slightly smaller than the one under it, making it look like a snowman. She then used eight small bits of dark chocolate to make its coal mouth and eyes. A small orange piece of Scottish Pebble candy was used for the carrot nose. A dark chocolate top hat finished the snowman cone. The woman then pointed her wand at the miniature snowman and said something in Latin. The snowman glowed orange for just a brief second.

"Here you go," the woman said with a smile, as she handed Lisa the ice-cream cone. "Just eat the hat when you want the spell to end.

To Lisa's surprise, the small snowman bowed its head and smiled at her. She just stared at it as she left the parlour.

"Whatcha waiting for, Lass? I'm liable to melt on you," the snowman said in a thick Scottish brogue.

Lisa almost dropped the cone. Was she supposed to eat this living thing?

"How about a good lick? You'll find I'm quite delicious."

Very cautiously, Lisa took a small lick with just the tip of her tongue. Even with such a small taste, Lisa could tell it was the creamiest ice cream she'd ever had.

"You call that a lick? We'll be here all day at this rate. Stop actin' like a duck fartin' in the wind and give me a decent swipe," her dessert scolded.

She did as he asked and took a nice long lick up the snowman's back. It quivered against her tongue when he chuckled. Her dessert was a bit ticklish. She worked on all three scoops evenly, careful not to lick his face away too soon. She never knew ice cream could taste so good.

"Now, be a good lass and eat my hat. The day's gettin' a bit hot for the likes o' me," the snowman said in a slurred voice. His small mouth was starting to spread out as he melted.

Not wanting him to suffer, she quickly ate the thimble-sized top hat. With a single lick, his face was gone, leaving only creamy vanilla ice cream and a cone. Lisa spat out his orange pebble-candy nose. She had always hated those things. In no time at all, Lisa finished every last bit of her treat. It was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten, even if it was a bit assertive.

Lisa was about to start out for the Apothecary when once again something caught her attention. This time it was a sound. There was a strange singing coming from just down the street to her left. Lisa was drawn to the elegant reverberation. The singing was coming from a small magical flower and plant shop called "The Greener Thumb." It wasn't one voice she was hearing, but hundreds. Beautiful flowers, like none Lisa had ever seen before, filled the small florist. She could hear all the flowers singing and talking to each other. Lisa could, on occasion, hear large old trees speak, but nothing like this. These flowers were singing and chatting away like old women gossipping at a tea party.

Lisa was very surprised when almost half the plants seemed to turn towards her as she entered the store. The singing quieted down to just whispers. Lisa had the strange feeling that the plants were studying her. At the counter, an old grey-haired man was talking to a young witch. As Lisa approached the back of the store, she heard someone weeping in pain. She saw a stern-looking woman in green robes wearing black leather gloves and a matching apron throttling a beautiful plant over a large sink. The plant had nearly a dozen beautiful purple and yellows flowers. Each flower was hissing at the woman with a small snakelike tongue coming out of the centre of its petals.

"Quiet, you, before I get my pruning shears," the woman warned.

"It's in plain. The pot's too small for its roots," Lisa told the angry woman.

"An expert on Spitting Irises, are you?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow, as she turned to look at Lisa.

"Erm…No, but I'm really good with plants. I can usually tell what's wrong with them," Lisa answered.

"Well, I've been selling plants for forty years and I don't know what's wrong with this evil weed," the woman said with scorn.

"It's the roots, Madam. That's why the pot is starting to crack," Lisa pointed out. She didn't like the way the woman continued to hold the plant by the stems as if she were trying to choke it.

The woman looked closely at the clay pot and said, "Damn, you're right. This stupid thing has outgrown four pots already. This is my biggest flowerpot. I'm not going to waste a tree pot on a weed such as this."

To Lisa's horror, the woman wrenched the plant out of the pot and tossed it into the sink. Lisa had to cover her ears at hearing the plant scream in pain.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Lisa shouted, as she ran to the sink.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm turning the hateful weed into mulch. Something I should have done months ago. I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered it. Of _course_ no one would buy a flower that spits at you, no matter how pretty it is," she said to Lisa, as she picked up a pair of sharp pruning shears.

Lisa pushed past the woman and snatched the Iris plant out of the sink. She held it protectively to her chest. The roots wrapped themselves around her waist in a tender embrace. The plant could sense she was trying to save it. The flowers turned toward the angry woman and started to hiss at her again. One of the flowers spit a drop of purple goo into the woman's face. She began to shake with fury.

"Give me that plant, you insolent child," the irate woman ordered, as she moved forward with shears in hand.

"You don't have to kill it. I'll buy it from you," Lisa said, as she backed away from the woman.

"I'd rather see it dead than sell it," the old woman said with a crazed look in her eye. "That weed has spit on me once too often."

"I'll give you twice what you were asking," Lisa said, backing into the far wall. This mad woman had backed her into a corner with nowhere to escape.

"I wouldn't take ten time the price for that infernal weed. It's going to die right here, right now," the woman said with a threatening look on her face.

Lisa knew she had earned that extra ten quid, and then some. Apparently, feeling that they were in extreme danger, all the flowers started to spit at the woman, covering her in droplets of purple goo. The enraged woman lunged at the flowers with the razor-sharp shears. She successfully decapitated one of the flowers on her first try. Not wanting any more of the flowers to die, Lisa darted to her left as the woman lunged forward again. Unfortunately, this sudden movement on her part caused the woman to miss her target and plunge the sharp shears into Lisa's right shoulder. Lisa screamed in pain as she fell to the floor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione spent most of her Saturday morning searching Diagon Alley for clues that Snape had been here after his disappearance. The sheep farmer had obviously been lying when he'd said he didn't know anything about Snape. Tonks believed that he'd found Snape's dead body and stolen the cloak. Hermione was sure there was more to it than that. The sheep farmer seemed a kind man that wouldn't steal from the dead; he was the kind of man who would help a stranger in need.

She knew Snape would try to undo what the potion had done to him sooner or later. The man who ran the Apothecary told her he hadn't taken any new orders from Professor Snape this year. The people at the cauldron shop had said the same. She tried several other small potions ingredients vendors but had no luck. The last place she could think to check was The Greener Thumb. It carried rare rejuvenating plants on occasion. Snape might try to use them.

Mr and Mrs Reeves ran the flower shop. Mr Reeve was a kind old wizard that greeted everyone with a smile. Mrs Reeves was just the opposite. Thankfully, she didn't talk to the customers too often. Mr Reeves happily answered all of Hermione's questions, but there was still nothing that hinted at Snape's reappearance. She was just about to thank Mr Reeves and leave for Hogwarts when someone started shouting in the back of the store. Hermione heard two raised voices. One was Mrs Reeves and the other was a girl's. Suddenly, the scream of a small child filled the shop. Both Hermione and Mr Reeves ran to the back to find out what was going on.

In the far corner of the store was Mrs Reeves, leaning over a small girl. Lying on the floor next to Mrs Reeve was a bloodstained pair of pruning shears. The girl was crying and clutching her hand to a bleeding wound in her right shoulder. Mrs Reeves was trying to calm the girl, but it was Mrs Reeves that looked like she needed calming. She was trembling badly and her face was white as a ghost.

"Bernice, what have you done?" Mr Reeves asked his wife, as he knelt down next to the stricken girl.

"I…I…I don't know, Daniel. The plant was spiting at me and the girl was trying to protect it. I didn't mean to hurt her. You have to believe me, Daniel. I didn't mean to hurt her," Mrs Reeves pleaded, as she broke down in sobs.

"It's all right, Bernice. I believe you," Mr Reeves said in a soothing voice to his wife. "Let's take care of this child, now. We'll talk about it later."

Mr. Reeves concentrated his attention on the little girl. Hermione observed that a strange-looking plant had entangled itself around the child. It looked like it was also trying to soothe and protect her.

"Lets have a look at you," Mr Reeves said in a kind voice to the girl, as he inspected her shoulder. "I need you to move your hand, dear, so I can see your wound. Don't worry, once upon a time I was a heck of a Healer."

The girl's crying eased and she removed her hand from her shoulder, letting Mr Reeves have a look at her wound. Hermione noticed the girl wasn't dressed in typical robes. She wore a simple black cloak over a Muggle shirt and jeans. This girl was most likely a Muggle-born. Hermione hoped this wasn't her first time amongst wizards and witches. Something like this might scar the girl's perception of the wizarding world.

"It's all right, my dear," Mr Reeves said, as he took out his wand. "It's just a flesh wound. Easy enough fixed with a simple healing spell."

With a quick spell, Mr Reeves healed the girl's shoulder. With another, he fixed the hole in her shirt and cleaned the bloodstains. The girl was only sniffling, now, as she inspected her own shoulder for any damage.

Mr Reeves helped her stand up, and asked, "What's your name, dear?"

"Lisa," she quietly answered, after wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I'm sorry for causing any trouble. I just didn't want her to kill the flowers. Can I go now? I won't come back. I promise."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lisa," Mr Reeves said with a warm smile, as he ran a hand through her hair. "You were right in protecting this beautiful plant. My wife sometimes gets carried away in her work. She and this plant have had a bad relationship from the start. She didn't mean to hurt you. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive her."

"It's OK," the girl said shyly.

"Let's see if we can help your friend out, shall we," Mr Reeves said, as he gently removed the plant that was wrapped around her. It was obvious that the plant didn't want to leave the girl. It hissed and spat at the kind old wizard. "Bernice, bring me a small tree pot and some rich planting soil for our little friend here."

Mrs Reeves didn't need to be told twice. She was gone in a flash.

"Is this your first trip to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked, as she knelt down next to the girl.

Lisa nodded.

"Are you Muggle-born?"

"I don't know what that means," she answered.

"If you don't know, then the answer is probably yes. Muggle-borns are people born without witches or wizards for parents," Hermione explained, as she gently pushed the loose hair out the girl's face.

The girl had the most beautiful hazel eyes Hermione had ever seen, but there was a lot of sadness in them. It was apparent this girl had seen more evil than a girl her age ever should.

"I grew up in a orphanage. I don't know what my parents were. Maybe my mum was a witch. She died the day I was born," the little girl told her.

Bernice arrived quickly with a large clay pot and a bag of fresh soil. With trembling hands, she placed the pot on the floor in front of the little girl. Mr Reeves poured a little soil into the pot. He then gently placed the hissing plant's roots in it. The little girl picked up the bag of soil and carefully poured it around the plant's roots. She used her fingers to spread the soil evenly. The plant stopped hissing as soon as it felt the girl's touch. Mr Reeves smiled at the girl as she massaged the soil around its roots.

"You have a natural green thumb, Lisa," he told her.

"Plants've always liked me," she explained.

"Well, this one sure seems to. You're the first person it has ever gotten along with. I think it only fair that we give her to you to take care of. If that's all right with you, Lisa?" Mr Reeves suggested to her.

Lisa smiled at him and said, "That'll be all right with me."

"Lisa, can you find it in your heart to forgive a foolish old woman," Mrs Reeves asked with fresh tears in her eyes.

"I know you weren't trying to hurt me. I just didn't want this plant to die," Lisa said, as she picked up the flower that had been cut off by Mrs Reeves' shears.

Hermione then watched as Lisa did something miraculous and quite impossible. She held the flower's cut stem to the place on the plant where it had been cut off. She wrapped her small palm around it. There was just a hint of a warm glow coming from the girl's closed hand. When she removed her hand, the flower stem was completely intact, as if it had never been cut. All three of them just stared at her with amazement. This instantly made the little girl nervous. Lisa looked like she had just been caught stealing something.

"She's a Flora… She's a Flora… She's a Floramagus," Mrs Reeves finally stammered out.

"I have to go. My grandmother's waiting for me," Lisa quickly said, as she picked up the plant and got to her feet, and then ran out of the shop. "Thank you for the plant" was all they heard as she disappeared out the door.

"Wait!" Mr Reeves shouted, but it was too late. Lisa was gone.

Hermione knew how rare a Floramagus was. There was usually no more than one born every hundred years or so. This little girl would be a prize sought after by both evil and good wizards alike. She would have to tell Dumbledore about Lisa, right away. The Order would find the girl and put her under their protection.

The Reeves were honest people, but there was no way they could keep a secret this big. This left Hermione with a very distasteful chore. She took out her wand and pointed it at the Reeves. If she didn't do it, wizards all over the world, looking to exploit Lisa's gifts, would hunt her down.

Before the Reeves could react, Hermione raised her wand and said, "_Obliviate_."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Next chapter coming soon.

Here's a quick question for my reviewers. Should Lisa tell Severus everything that happened in Diagon Alley? Or should she hold some things back?


	7. The Hunted

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

HERO.

Chapter 07. The Hunted.

It only took Lisa a minute to pick up the catalogues from the Apothecary shop. She looked both ways down Diagon Alley before leaving, making sure the young witch or the Reeves hadn't followed her. From the Apothecary shop, she made a quick dash for the archway. After passing through the arch she look behind her to see nothing but a brick wall. She wanted to stop and touch the wall to make sure it was real, but her street instincts told it would be best if she got out of Diagon Alley right away.

In the short time she had been gone, the pub had nearly completely filled with witches and wizards. Trying hard not to attract anyone's attention, Lisa made her way through the labyrinth of tables and occupied chairs. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she finally exited the Leaky Cauldron. Her anxiety quickly returned when she saw no sign of Mr. Smith. Lisa ran across the street to the spot where she left Mr. Smith. She looked up and down Charing Cross Road for any sign of him. There was none. Only more strangely dressed people entering and exiting the small pub.

She was just about to panic when a taxi stopped on the street next to her. The back door open and Mr. Smith said, "Quickly, get in." She couldn't help but smile as she handed him the Spiting Iris plant and then jumped into the back seat with him.

"I didn't think you were coming back," Lisa told him as she closed the door.

"Stepney," Smith said to the driver and they were off. "Sorry if I scared you, Lisa. The amount of traffic coming and going from the pub made it impossible for me to stay on the street. Someone was bond to recognize me. I hire this muggle carriage to circle the block until I spotted you," he explained.

Lisa just smiled and handed him the catalogues. He took them and stared at the plant sitting in his lap. "This doesn't look like a owl to me, " he asked with a raised eyebrow.

" The owl is flying home with its cage. This is a Spitting Iris. A nice man at a flower store gave it to me," she sheepishly explained.

"I don't recall a flower store being one of the two places you were suppose to visit," he said with obvious disapproval in his voice.

"The flowers were singing. I couldn't help but go in that store," she pleaded. "The lady in the store was about to kill this beautiful plant, I had to rescue it from her."

"You rescued it?" he asked skeptically.

"Had to." It was obvious he wasn't trilled at her heroic act.

"Let me guess, instead of buying a strong capable owl like I asked, you picked a scrawny little thing, one that no one else wanted and was about to be put down?" he asked.

"No! I got the strongest owl they had, just like you told me," she said with a pout.

Smith just stared at her for a second, then softened the look on his face and said, "Well, for your first trip into the magical world you did very well, Lisa. But you will need to become less emotional. The magical world is a very dangerous place. You can't save every weed that calls out to you. That would be a waist of you talents."

Lisa reached over and took the plant out of his lap. "This isn't a weed," she said defiantly.

"No, a Spitting Iris is far from a weed, but that's not my point," he told her.

"What is your point?"

"Don't follow your heart in spite of your head. It almost always leads to disaster or worse, betrayal," he warned. 

"I've already learned that a long time ago," Lisa told him with a mix of sadness and bitterness.

Mr. Smith look straight in the eyes and said, "It's only a lesson, Lisa. Unfortunately one that we all have to learn at some point. But do not let it defined you. I learned that lesson the hard way. As a very wise old friend mine once told me, don't let the world cruelties blind you from its beauty."

"Your friend sounds very smart," she told him.

"He is. It's quite irritating," he told her with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Will I get to meet any of your friends?" she asked.

"I only have the one," he answered. "You will meet him when it's your time to go to Hogwarts. He's the Headmaster there."

"Why do you only have one friend?" she asked.

"That's a very long story, Lisa. One you're not ready to hear yet. Besides, I have two friends now don't I?" he asked as he rub the top of her head, musing her hair a little.

"For now," she answered coyly.

It took Hermione nearly five minutes to complete her clumsy attempt at removing the Reeves memory. She only removed the memory of Lisa fixing the plant stem. That all she dared with her limited knowledge of Oblivion charm. She didn't want to take the chance that one or both the Reeves would end up like Lockhart.

Since her search for Professor Snape, wasn't fruitful anymore, Hermione decided to concentrate on finding the little girl, Lisa. Of course there was no sign of the girl by time she finally left The Greener Thumb. For the second time that day, Hermione would have to search Diagon Alley for someone she didn't have clue where to find.

Unlikely her search for Snape, Hermione got luck right away. The lady working the counter at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, remembered Lisa.

"She was here about thirty minutes ago. I saw her come out of the Eeylops. I didn't see where she went after I gave her one of our cone," the lady told her.

Hermione quickly thanked the witch, and headed for the Owl shop. She took two steps inside the small smelly store and froze. Standing behind the counter was Teddy Nott, son of one of the Death Eaters that tried to rape and murder her.

"Can I help you, Madam?" he asked in a pleasant voice.

Remembering why she had entered the store, Hermione forced herself out of her petrified state and approached the counter.

"Oh, it's you," Nott said with a slight sneer as he recognized her.

"What are you doing here, Nott?" Hermione asked.

"Just what it looks like I'm doing, Granger. Working," he answered.

"I can see that," she said with annoyance.

"Good. I was starting to think your reputation as a know-it-all smart-ass was in jeopardy," he sarcastically said.

"What I meant is why are you not at Hogwarts"  
"My aunt owns this store. She allows me to work here on weekends since..."

Nott didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have too. Hermione knew he meant the death of his father. Nott was eighteen now, same as her. He looked a lot like his dad. Hermione still had nightmares about that night. Nott Sr.'s gruesome death at Snape's hands was often repeated in her unconscious mind. She had even had a dream about the headless Nott chasing her down the corridors of Hogwarts.

"Shouldn't you be studying for your N.E.WT's on the weekends?" she asked. "I can't believe you make enough here to make it worthwhile."

"Not all us have rich Muggle parents, Granger. Some of us will actually have to get jobs after we graduate. Everything isn't handed to us on a silver latter, like it is to you and Potter," he angrily told her.

Hermione was about to argue that neither her nor Harry ever had it easy, but she stopped herself. That wasn't the reason she came here. "A friend of mine was in here earlier. She is about eight or nine years old. Her name is Lisa. She was wearing Muggle clothes with a black cloak. Do you remember her?

"If you're her friend, how come you don't know how old she is?" Nott asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"I just recently met her," Hermione explained. "I think today was her first time in Diagon alley. She is a Muggle-born and I don't want her getting into any trouble." It wasn't completely a lie, she just hope Nott couldn't tell she was leaving something very big out.

The irritated expression on his face softened a little. "She bought an owl from here not long ago, but she wasn't a Mudblo...Muggle-born," he corrected with effort.

"How do you know that?"

"She told me the owl was for her grandmother, a amateur potions maker that couldn't get around that well anymore. Now if her grandma is a witch, she can't be a Muggle-born, can she?" Nott said with a smile. He obviously thought that Hermione would be disappointed that Lisa wasn't a Muggle-born like her, but that not what bothered Hermione about his statement. "Her grandma must be one of those shut in nutters. The girl didn't even know there was a war on. Her grandma must keep her on a tight leash."

"Did you say her grandmother was a potions maker?" she asked.

"Yes, Granger I did. Is a classroom the only place you pay attention?" he teasingly asked.

"What kind of potions does her grandmother make?" she asked, ignoring his rude question.

"I don't having a clue. I'm not as nosy as you," he told her. "But she must make a lot of potions. She wanted the biggest owl we had."

"And you sold her the biggest owl you had?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course, I always give the costumers what they want," Teddy answered with an insulted look on his face.

"Do you know where she lives?"

"No and I wouldn't tell you if I did, Granger," Nott said with an annoyed look on his face. "Our costumers deserve some privacy, especially from people like you, Granger. Gryffindors think know what is best for the whole world, don't you?"

"Knowing right from wrong is supposed to be basic common sense, Nott. But most of you purebloods don't have a thimble full of that,' she heatedly stated.

"Let me guess. Your and Potter's version of right and wrong, is the only one that exist, therefore the only one that matters?" Nott asked.

"Not killing innocent people isn't a version of right and wrong, Nott, its just plain right. That should be simple enough for even inbred purebloods to understand," she explained.

"It's simple all right," Nott mockingly said. "It's also naïve to believe that people are innocent, just because they don't seem to be hurting anyone. But fighting to keep your way of life alive means you have to strike first, before your enemies can destroy you."

Hermione was sure Nott Sr. had drum this dim-witted message into his son since shortly after he was born. "Fanatics all over the world have used that moronic excuse to murder people for centuries. It's about power, Nott. I think you're the one that been naïve. Been listening to your psychotic father bloody bull for so long, you wouldn't know the truth if it hit you over the head," she angrily accused.

"Shut up, Mudblood," he snapped at her. "You know nothing about my father."

"I know plenty. He was a filthy, murdering rapist. And he deserved to get his head chopped off by Professor Snape. I can't think of a better way for that bastard to have died," she shouted at the young Slytherin.

Instead of yelling at her or pulling out his wand, which is what Hermione expected he would do, Teddy just stared at her with a puzzled look on his face. Finally he asked, " What are you talking about, Granger. My father isn't dead. He just out of the country on business."

It became quite obvious that Nott was in the dark about his father's demise. Not feeling the urge to explain it to him, Hermione turned and headed for the door.

Before she moved more than two feet, Nott dramatically leaped over the counter and grabbed her by the left arm and spun her around to face him.

"Tell me what you know, Granger," he demanded. "Is my father really dead?" He still had her firmly by the left arm squeezing it painfully. Hermione decided to stall him why she slowly eased her wand out of her robe pocket with her right hand.

"He is," she simply answered.

"You know for sure, it not just a rumor?" he asked. To Hermione's complete surprise, there was something like hope in Nott's eyes.

"I saw him die, Christmas Eve. His head was chopped off," she bluntly said hoping it would stun him. Nott released his grip on her arm. He placed both his hands on his face and sank to his knees. He started sobbing. Hermione didn't think his tear were mournful ones. They were sobs of relief. Knowing it wasn't her place to pry into Nott's family business, Hermione slowly backed away and left the store. It wasn't hard to see why Teddy would be happy that his father was dead. She couldn't picture any of the Death Eaters being model parents. A child born with sense of morals might consider being raised by such a person a living hell.

Hermione wonder if Teddy would still spout out his father hatred now that he knew he was free of the evil man? Most likely. Hated is a hard habit to break. 

She quickly put Teddy Nott's moral dilemma out of her mind and concentrated again on Lisa.

Things weren't adding up. The girl obviously didn't know anything about the magical world. If her grandmother were a witch, she would have at lease told her about the dangers of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hermione also couldn't picture any old witch letting her granddaughter walk around Diagon Alley in Muggle clothes. Hermione wonder if the grandmother was real or did the little girl just make her up. And if there was no grandmother, then someone else was helping the girl or using her. No Muggle-born just stubbles into Diagon Alley by themselves.

Hermione headed to the Apothecary shop to check on the rest of Lisa story. If she were using an Owl to buy potions ingredients, Lisa's grandmother would need ordering catalogues. If Hermione theory was correct, a wizard had already started to exploit Lisa powers. A wizard that needed a little girl's help to make potions. A wizard that wants to remain hidden from the magical world. If Hermione was right, she may have just found her Hero.

"What is this?" Severus asked, staring at the huge feather beast perched on top of a rod iron cage sitting in the middle of his flat.

"It's a Owl. The strongest one they had, just like you ask for," Lisa answered. The girl seemed quite pleased with herself.

"I sure he is," Severus replied giving the creature a malevolence look.

"He a African Eagle Owl. The biggest owls in the world according to the owl salesman," Lisa informed him.

"I see the art of subtlety need to be added to your lesson list," Severus told her.

"Why, what's wrong?" the girl nervously asked.

"The reason I suggested a simple Brown or Tawny owl, is they would not look out of place flying over London. This Leviathan is sure to attract attention," he explained.

"But he was a really good deal. I only paid fifteen Galleons for him and they originally wanted sixty," she said defensively.

"I curious to why they would discount such a unique owl?" he asked, still giving the unsightly winged raptor a skeptical look. 

"There nothing wrong with him. He is even guarantied. They only marked him down because his last owner had a bad reputation," she answered.

"A former owner with a bad reputation," Severus repeated as he turned his attention from the owl to the small girl standing next to him. "Did they by any chance tell you the name of this person?"

"Mcnair, I think."

"Weldon Macnair?" Severus asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his face.

"Yes, that's what Teddy told me," she responded.

"Teddy?"

"Yes. Teddy Nott, the nice salesman at the Owl store."

Severus wanted to scream at the child. He had sent her to do two simple tasks, and she stumbled in the son of his enemy and bought the ex-owl of another. He sat down on the sofa and wiped his forehead in frustration.

"Did I do something wrong?" Lisa asked. Her eyes were watery on the verge of tears. It was obvious she felt as if she had failed him somehow. Her need to please him was clear. The old Severus wouldn't hesitate in berating the girl for not using more common sense, quickly striping her of all self-esteem. But that wouldn't be wise. He needed Lisa a lot more than she needed him. A curtain kind of soft touch is what he needs to apply to the situation. Thankfully his years as a spy allow him to control his true feelings and say and do think that were against his nature.

"There nothing wrong that can't be fixed," he assured her. "For your first trip into the would of magic, you did well." This brought the smile back to her face. As warm as her smile was, it didn't warm his heart. He wanted to destroy this grotesque owl and send her back to Diagon Alley for a replacement. That would not work for several reasons, first being that she had already bounded with the hideous thing just as she had with the Spiting Iris plant. Getting rid of the bird now would only alienate her. "We just use the owl at night. The muggle are less likely to notice him then."

"His name is Goliath," she happily told him.

"Of course it is," Severus replied, using all his self-control to hold back a killer sneer.

Next chapter coming some, I promise. 


End file.
